Visitors to Notre Dame cathedral ran for their lives when the Paris landmark went up in flames on Monday, according to a report.

“People were evacuated, they were streaming out the cathedral and there was ash and cinders coming down nearby,” American tourist Jim Rogers told the British Telegraph newspaper.

Rogers said he was in the square outside the popular tourist destination and was told to leave the area.

A fire alarm went off around 6:30 p.m. local time, Notre Dame spokesman Andre Finot told the New York Times.

The cathedral was scheduled to close to the public at 6:45 p.m.

Nearby homes and businesses were also evacuated as parts of the iconic Gothic cathedral collapsed and fell to the ground, the Telegraph said.