President Donald Trump on Monday encouraged France to use "flying water tankers" to put out a raging fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris as firefighters rushed to save one of the country's most visited landmarks and local officials called for those nearby to evacuate the scene. Read: Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral is on fire "So horrible to watch the massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris," the president wrote. "Perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out. Must act quickly!" Trump tweet

Smoke and flames rise during a fire at the landmark Notre-Dame Cathedral in central Paris on April 15, 2019, potentially involving renovation works being carried out at the site, the fire service said. Francois Guillot | AFP | Getty Images

Hundreds of firefighters responded to the enormous blaze, and a French firefighter official reportedly said late Monday that the structure of Notre Dame could be saved from total destruction. They did not use aircraft to dump water on the building, a strategy that France's civil defense agency appeared to dismiss earlier in a pair of tweets. "The drop of water by air on this type of building could indeed result in the collapse of the entire structure," the agency wrote in French. "Alongside those ... who are currently doing the maximum to save #NotreDame." "Helicopter or airplane, the weight of the water and the intensity of the drop at low altitude could indeed weaken the structure of Notre-Dame and result in collateral damage to the buildings in the vicinity," the agency added. France civil defense TWEET France civil defense TWEET 2 The agency said later in an English-language tweet that "all means are being used" to bring the fire under control — "except for water-bombing aircrafts which, if used, could lead to the collapse of the entire structure of the cathedral." France civil defense TWEET 3 It was not immediately clear what caused the fire at the 12th century building that attracts more than 13 million visitors each year and is home to a number of the country's artistic masterpieces. The cathedral was being renovated at the time it caught fire. Parts of the church's historic spire are reported to have collapsed.