Notre Dame fire 'under control', French President Macron vows to rebuild it

The Paris prosecutor opened an investigation into the fire, the cause of which is still unknown, reported CNN.

Paris Fire Brigade Commander General Jean-Claude Gallet was quoted as saying by CNN that one firefighter was seriously injured in the incident.

Damage caused:

The 850-year-old Gothic building's spire and roof have collapsed but the main structure, including the two bell towers, has been saved, officials were quoted as saying by BBC.

French President vows to rebuild the iconic structure:

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday said the cathedral will be rebuild.

"This Notre-Dame Cathedral, we will rebuild it. All together. This is part of our French destiny. I am committed to this: from tomorrow a national subscription will be launched, and far beyond our borders," the French leader tweeted.

Earlier, he had referred to the event as a "great emotion for the whole nation".

"Our thoughts go out to all Catholics and to the French people. Like all of my fellow citizens, I am sad to see this part of us burn tonight," the President had said late on Monday night.

Considered among the finest examples of French Gothic architecture, the 850-year-old Catholic church is visited by thousands every week. 

Pictures and videos on social media last night showed thick gray plumes of smoke emanating from the church. The spire was seen completely engulfed in flames.

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo thanked the police and municipal agents and said many important works of the Notre-Dame, a Unesco World Heritage structure, has been saved because of their efforts.

"The Crown of thorns, the tunic of Saint Louis and several other major works are now in a safe place," she said.

The fire:

According to media reports, the fire started at around  18:30 (16:30 GMT). The blaze spread quickly and reached the roof of the cathedral. It even left the stained-glass windows of the structure destroyed. The wooden interior of the French landmark structure was also damaged by the fire.

As per BBC report, some 500 firefighters worked to prevent one of the bell towers from collapsing. More than four hours later, fire chief Jean-Claude Gallet said the main structure had been "saved and preserved" from total destruction.

Ex-French President Francois Hollande also reacted to the fire incident and tweeted in French: "#NotreDame is our common heritage, it is a wound to see it so raved by the flames. Tribute to firefighters who work to extinguish the fire. "

Thousands of people were seen gathering around the structure and singing hymns or praying and few were seen silently observing the building.