A colossal fire swept through the famed Notre-Dame Cathedral in central Paris on Monday, April 15, causing a spire to collapse and raising fears over the future of the nearly millennium-old building and its precious artworks. The fire, which began in the early evening, sent flames and huge clouds of grey smoke billowing into the Paris sky as stunned Parisians and tourists watched on in sheer horror.

The cause of the blaze was not immediately confirmed but the cathedral had been undergoing intense restoration work to help the 850-year-old gothic masterpiece better deal with the tests of time. Bollywood actors mourned the burning of Paris' Norte Dame cathedral after a fire engulfed it on Tuesday. While Riteish Deshmukh was among the first to grieve for every "Notre Dame lover", Nimrat Kaur called it a "profound loss".