Notre Dame Cathedral Scorched

Notre Dame Cathedral

President Emmanuel Macron said, "Notre Dame is our history, our literature, part of our psyche" and pledged that the iconic cathedral will be rebuilt.

Notre Dame Cathedral

Nunez said it would take at least 48 hours to complete that security assessment, after which crews will recover the works of art — which also seem to have mostly withstood the blaze.

It was damaged and neglected in the 1790s, during the French Revolution. Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel, “Notre-Dame of Paris,” published in English as “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” informed readers about the building’s decrepit condition.

“There had been a systematic refusal to install anything electrical” within “the forest” because of the risk, said Pierre Housieaux, president of the Paris Historical Association. “Everyone knew that the attic was the most fragile part.”

"We are favoring the theory of an accident," Heitz told reporters Tuesday, adding that the investigation into the blaze would be "long" and "complex."

Notre Dame Cathedral

The Bettencourt Meyers family, owners of the French cosmetic company L'Oréal, said they and the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation will donate 200 million euros.

Two thousand people were inside when the fire broke out, but none were injured. "They did get some artwork out, but it's going to be cataclysmic damage," Beardsley reported.

After fire officials said they salvaged the two main structures, Macron announced that the “worst had been avoided” and vowed to rebuild.

Notre Dame Cathedral

“The fire-detection system existed, not the fire compartments,” said Jacques Chanut, president of the French Building Federation, referring to the structures commonly used elsewhere to contain blazes. “That’s the typical example of something we are going to have to think about tomorrow.”

Notre Dame Cathedral

Heitz said there were no indications that the blaze was started deliberately. Investigators plan to interview representatives from the companies that were renovating the structure at the time of the fire.