French authorities say there is no guarantee the Notre-Dame Cathedral can be saved

The fire chief in Paris says it's unclear if city firefighters will be able to keep a fire at Notre Dame from spreading and causing more destruction.

Flames already have reached one of Notre Dame's towers and brought down the church spire that extended 96-meters-high.

French President, Emmanuel Macron, is treating the fire gutting Notre Dame Cathedral as a national emergency. France's civil security agency says ``all means'' except for water-dropping aircraft were deployed to tackle the blaze. The defence agency said those were unsuitable for fires like the one at Notre Dame because dumping water on the building could cause the whole structure to collapse.

Guest: Adam Plowright

Reporter based in Paris for the AFP news agency

The fire chief in Paris says it's unclear if city firefighters will be able to keep a fire at Notre Dame from spreading and causing more destruction.

Flames already have reached one of Notre Dame's towers and brought down the church spire that extended 96-meters-high.

French President, Emmanuel Macron, is treating the fire gutting Notre Dame Cathedral as a national emergency. France's civil security agency says ``all means'' except for water-dropping aircraft were deployed to tackle the blaze. The defence agency said those were unsuitable for fires like the one at Notre Dame because dumping water on the building could cause the whole structure to collapse.

Guest: Adam Plowright

Reporter based in Paris for the AFP news agency