Notre-Dame fire ‘under control, partially extinguished’: firefighters

Bystanders look on as flames and smoke billow from the roof at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris early on April 16, 2019. – A major fire broke out at the landmark Notre-Dame Cathedral in central Paris sending flames and huge clouds of grey smoke billowing into the sky, the fire service said. The flames and smoke plumed from the spire and roof of the gothic cathedral, visited by millions of people a year, where renovations are currently underway. (Photo by Zakaria ABDELKAFI / AFP)

PARIS, France (AFP) — A huge fire that devastated Notre-Dame Cathedral is “under control”, the Paris fire brigade said early Tuesday after firefighters spent hours battling the flames.

“The fire is completely under control. It is partially extinguished, there are residual fires to put out,” said spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Gabriel Plus.