Tourists and residents alike came to a standstill, pulling out their phones to call their loved ones. Older Parisians wept over the loss of a national treasure.

For hours, hundreds of French firefighters battled to contain the blaze. No one was killed or injured, officials said.

Cause: None had been identified as of this writing, but officials said the fire had begun in the attic. The cathedral is currently undergoing extensive renovation work, and several statues were lifted by crane from the spire last week.

Go deeper: We have photos and video of the disaster, and a short history of this scarred jewel of Gothic architecture.