The Fire of the Century: The Hope Behind the Rubble and the History of Notre Dame

Horrifying Scenes

Smoke billows as flames burn through the roof of the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral (Photo by FABIEN BARRAU/AFP/Getty Images)

The Notre Dame Cathedral is home to 850 years of French history, and one of the most beloved landmarks of the Catholic religion. Watching it burn down was a horrible ordeal for the world to watch. At 7:20 pm, Paris Mayor, Anne Hidalgo tweeted from her office just across the river that a “terrible fire” is burning strong in Notre Dame. She went on to repeat instructions from police for people to stay away as the blaze is very dangerous.