Millions pledged to rebuild Notre Dame

Paris: Hundreds of millions of euros were pledged to help rebuild the partially destroyed Notre Dame Cathedral, the 850-year-old Unesco world heritage, as flames that ripped through the Paris landmark were extinguished on Tuesday.

The fire was extinguished some 15 hours after it began on Monday evening, but emergency services said they were still working to douse the hot spots. “The fire has been extinguished,” fire services spokesperson Gabriel Plus said, adding that around 100 fire-fighters were still at the scene making sure that embers and hot spots were under control and “surveying the movement of structures and extinguishing smouldering residues”.

The blaze ravaged the iconic building’s roof and caused the collapse of the Cathedral’s spectacular Gothic spire and the destruction of its roof structure.

However, the fire-fighters who worked through the night managed to save the Paris landmark’s main stone structure, including its two towers. `

As the cause of the fire was not clear, the police began questioning workers who were carrying out renovations at the cathedral. The Paris prosecutor’s office opened an inquiry into “involuntary destruction by fire”, indicating they believe the cause of the blaze was accidental rather than criminal, the Guardian reported.

While French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to reconstruct the historic building, two French business magnates pledged about 300 million euros. Offers of help with the reconstruction also poured in from around the globe, with European Council President Donald Tusk calling on EU member states to rally around.