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Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral In Flames

caption: Smoke ascends as flames rise during a fire at the landmark Notre Dame Cathedral in central Paris on April 15, 2019.
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Smoke ascends as flames rise during a fire at the landmark Notre Dame Cathedral in central Paris on April 15, 2019.
FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP/Getty Images

Notre Dame Cathedral, one of the most well-known buildings in Paris, erupted in flames Monday.

Video circulating on Twitter showed flames leaping through the roof and dark smoke billowing into the sky.

Police in Paris asked people to avoid the area to facilitate the passage of emergency vehicles.

Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo tweeted that they are in the midst of a terrible fire at the cathedral, and that Paris firefighters are trying to control the flames.

There was no immediate word on the cause of the blaze or of potential victims.

"So horrible to watch the massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris," President Trump tweeted as the fire burned. "Perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out. Must act quickly!"

This is a developing story. Some things that get reported by the media will later turn out to be wrong. We will focus on reports from police officials and other authorities, credible news outlets and reporters who are at the scene. We will update as the situation develops.

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