PARIS, France (NBC) – Investigators in Paris are searching for the cause of the fire that engulfed the Notre Dame Cathedral on Monday.
The damage is only fully visible from the air. Most of the roof is completely gone, leaving the bare ribs of the building beneath.
Firefighters apparently had just 30 minutes to save the towers from the blaze, battling very close to the flames to save the structure.
Precious statues were sawed away to reduce stress on the northern corner of the building.
The cathedral’s main structure remained largely intact, including the iconic stone towers and the three stained glass rose windows. Also the incredible organ and the priceless relics, including the crown of thorns, were spared.
So far, a billion dollars has been pledged to rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral. Wednesday night, church bells all over France will ring around the same time that this fire broke out.
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