Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris has caught fire, with flames visible from the roof and firefighters attending the scene.
Images have emerged showing the upper parts of the gothic cathedral engulfed by flames. The 90-metre-high spire parts of the roof have completely collapsed, and the fire is spreading to the bell towers.
The fire started at approximately 7pm local time and has brought hundreds of people out into the street of Paris.
A spokesperson for the cathedral told Associated Press that the cathedral's wooden interior was ablaze and likely to be destroyed.
"A terrible fire"
Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo has described it as "a terrible fire" on her Twitter page, and urged onlookers to respect the security boundaries in place while the fire brigade tackles the blaze.
The moment when the #NotreDame?s main spire collapsed. pic.twitter.com/lc81K4K3VO
? Mohammed (@MazAlJumaily) April 15, 2019

French president Emmanuel Macron cancelled a speech he was due to give this evening and is on his way to the scene. He also made a statement on Twitter, describing the situation as "emotion of a whole nation".
"Thought for all Catholics and for all French. Like all our compatriots, I am sad tonight to see this part of us burn," he said.
Renovation works thought to be cause
The cause of the fire is unconfirmed, but officials told BBC News it might linked to renovation.
The historic cathedral was undergoing major works to fix large cracks and fissure...