On Tuesday, April 16, French officials announced they had extinguished the blaze. The full extent of the damage is still being assessed, and an international fundraising campaign is being organized to raise money for the renovations.
Paris has vowed to rebuild its iconic place of worship, with French President Emmanuel Macron stating, "The worst has been avoided, but the battle isn't fully on yet."
He tweeted, "Notre-Dame is aflame. Great emotion for the whole nation. Our thoughts go out to all Catholics and to the French people. Like all of my fellow citizens, I am sad to see this part of us burn tonight. Notre-Dame is aflame. Great emotion for the whole nation. Our thoughts go out to all Catholics and to the French people. Like all of my fellow citizens, I am sad to see this part of us burn tonight."
French billionaires Bernard Arnault, Bettencourt Meyers and François-Henri Pinault, along with families of other notable French companies, had pledged more than $700 million for the reconstruction by daybreak.