A dramatic sequence of photographs reveals how a ‘stray flame’ eventually turned into a towering inferno that engulfed Paris’s Notre Dame Cathedral overnight.
Heroic firefighters battled for more than eight hours through the night to extinguish the fire and save the 850-year-old landmark from complete destruction.
Pictutaken by horrified Parisians reveal how the first plumes of smoke developed over the skyline at about 6.50pm local time, with parts of the iconic spire collapsing just over an hour later.
First responders would spend the next couple of hours trying to salvage as many artworks and other priceless pieces as they could from inside the building, before its wooden roof fell in at about 10pm.
It would not be until 9.45am the next day, after firefighters had worked overnight to cool down the structure, that authorities would confirm that the blaze had been fully extinguished.
Below is a timeline setting out how the fire first took hold of the majestic building.
6.50pm (local time): A photograph posted on Twitter shows the moment that the first plumes of smoke became visible above the roof of the cathedral
7.20pm: Massive crowds have gathered near the cathedral as the plumes swelled in size and could be seen from miles around
7.30pm: A photograph on Twitter reveals the first amber licks of flame rising up from the base of the spire, where restoration works were being carried out
7.35pm: Another photograph shows the flames as they begin to creep up and eat away at the spire that dominates the skyline in this part of Paris
7.40pm: The flames appear to jump from the base of the spire to a nearby turret an hour or so after the fire first broke out
7.45pm: Just five minutes after catching alight, the roof of the turret appears to be disintegrating before the crowds of concerned bystanders
8pm: The turret falls through slightly before 8pm, leaving behind a few timber beams. Shown right, nothing remains of the turret by 8.10pm
8.10pm: The spire collapses after the flames had eaten their way along the length of the structure. Dramatic pictures showed the spire falling to earth after being split in half by the blaze
8.15pm: The main shard of the spire is shown hurtling towards the ground (left) , while seconds later the Paris landscape is changed forever (right)
8.20pm: Shortly before the sun sets, the flames spread to the cathedral’s wooden roof, which stands for less than an hour according to reports from the ground
8.20pm: Smoke pours from the two towers of the cathedral’s iconic facade, as the fire spreads from the spire to the entire wooden roof
8.20pm: A brave firefighter uses a hose to try and dampen down the raging flames as they engulf the roof of the cathedral
8.30pm: Footage captured from a drone operated by the Ministry of the Interior shows how nearly all of the wooden roof has been destroyed, leaving behind the stonework
8.30pm: An aerial view of the cathedral roof still on fire as the sun goes down over Paris, about an hour and a half after the first reports of a fire
8.45pm: A haunting photograph shows one of the cathedral’s stained glass window lit up by a blanket of flame inside
8.50pm: Another photograph from the ground outside the cathedral shows flickers of fire drifting into the sky above Paris
9pm: Sparks fill the air as Paris Fire brigade members spray water to extinguish flames as the Notre Dame Cathedral burns
9.20pm: French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron arrive at the scene to pay a visit to firemen battling the blaze
10pm: Drone footage released by French police shows the devastating damage done to the roof of the cathedral
10.30pm: Parisians gather to pray and sing hymns outside the church of Saint Julien Les Pauvres across the river from Notre Dame
11pm: People who live nearby are evacuated in case of a collapse. The Paris fire chief says the structure has been saved and the fire was stopped from spreading to the northern belfry
12am: It is confirmed that the relic of the crown of thorns and a number of priceless artefacts were taken from the cathedral to Paris City Hall for safekeeping
5.30am: The morning after the disaster, with fire crews still on the scene having worked overnight to cool down the structure
7am: Firefighters continue to douse Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris with water this morning following the devastating blaze
8am: Firefighters, surrounded by the cathedral’s iconic gargoyles, take stock of the damage caused by yesterday’s devastating fire
9am: A woman sits and prays near the Notre Dame Cathedral this morning as efforts to dampen down the remainder of the flames continue today
10am: Pictures from inside show how the wooden roof at Notre Dame (left) was completely burned away – as experts said it could not be replaced in the way it was built in the Middle Ages – while charred debris covered the floor (right)
12pm: Firefighters work at the facade of Notre Dame cathedral on Tuesday following the fire which destroyed the roof and spire
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk