A fire broke out this afternoon in the Notre-Dame Cathedral, one of the most famous landmarks in the French capital Paris, which destroyed the roof of the cathedral and its main tower, a spokesman for the fire department said.

The fire spread to the roof of the medieval cathedral and quickly charged the top of the cathedral's huge tower, which collapsed without injuries.

A large smoke cloud covered the sky of Paris, while ash fell over a wide area around the cathedral.

I can not believe this! 😢 # NotreDame pic.twitter.com/pQTgZQqBiW

- Mine Fornerod, PhD (@minefornerod) April 15, 2019

"Everything is falling apart," a police officer said near the site of the fire. Firefighters evacuated the area surrounding the cathedral in the center of the French capital and evacuated buildings nearby.

French President Emmanuel Macaron canceled a speech he was due to deliver to the French today, and a presidential official confirmed that Macaron would go to the site of the fire.

McCron confirmed in a tweet on Twitter that he shared the "whole nation's pain" with the cathedral fire, expressing "solidarity with all Catholics and all the French."

"Notre Dame is burning, a whole nation is suffering ... solidarity with all Catholics and all the French. Like all citizens, I am sad this evening to see part of us burn."

so sad to hear that 850 years of history has today been devastated. this is heartbreaking ... #NotreDame pic.twitter.com/p9ZKZgxa51

- ° chimissa (@misaxgguk) April 15, 2019

"A terrible fire is now going on in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris," Paris Mayor Ann Hidalgo said on Twitter.

France 2 television reported that police were treating the fire as an accident, while the Paris prosecutor's office began an investigation to determine its causes.

US President Donald Trump expressed his "dismay at" the fire that has afflicted the historic Notre Dame Cathedral.

"It is very shocking to see the huge fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris," Trump said in a tweet on Twitter. "Maybe planes can be used to spray water to extinguish it.