The left bell tower of the iconic Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris has gone up in flames, RIA Novosti reported.

The Gothic cathedral's roof and spire have already collapsed.  The flames are spreading rapidly through the building,

No casualties

Deputy Interior Minister Laurent Nunez noted that nobody was injured as a result of the fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral, Reuters reported.

Why not use aviation

Many people, and in particular, US President Donald Trump, offered to extinguish the fire at the cathedral with the help of aviation. French civil defense agency explains why this was not possible: fire planes are not adapted for this type of fire and could damage the walls of the cathedral.

The newspaper Le Monde explains why it was impossible to use airplanes for extinguishing.

It was noted that they dump 6 tons of water from the air - and the risk is too great to destroy the cathedral and everything around it. In addition, people who are nearby may suffer.

Nothing will remain from the cathedral 

A spokesman for the cathedral, Andre Fino told French media that the entire wooden interior of Notre-Dame de Paris is on fire and is likely to be destroyed, RBC reported.

According to him, treasure of iconic Notre-Dame cathedral are unlikely affected by the Monday fire that swept the building, as its holy relics are kept in a sacristy.

Paris deputy mayor Emmanuel Gregoire noted that that the fire caused "enormous damage to the building." According to him, the local authorities have formed a special mission, which will be engaged in attempts to preserve works of art inside the cathedral. Emergency services gave priority to protecting tourists and city residents from the risk of building collapse, he added.

Trump predicts the Cathedral will burn to the ground

US President Donald Trump held telephone talks with representatives of the French authorities in connection with the fire at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame. President Trump commented on the fire this afternoon as he attended a roundtable conference in Minnesota.

"It's one of the great treasures of the world," he said. "It's part of our culture, it's part of our lives. That is a truly great cathedral and I've been there, I've seen it, and there is... no cathedral in the world like it. It is a terrible scene." The president added, "It looks like it's burning to the ground." 

Macron: Part of us is on fire

"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," Macron tweeted.