Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal rings bells in honour of the Notre-Dame Cathedral fire (VIDEO)

Apr 16 2019, 3:08 am

The Notre-Dame Cathedral, one of Paris’ most iconic landmarks, has been engulfed in flames.

The 850-year-old historical monument marks the heart of the city for locals and tourists alike, and is the most visited monument in Paris. The cathedral sees 12 million visitors a year — nearly double the people who visit the Eiffel Tower.

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The cause of the massive blaze is not yet known, but local media — quoting the Paris fire brigade — suggested it could be “potentially linked” to the $6.8-million renovation project that is underway on the peak of the building.

Notre Dame Fire

@gl0be_trotter / Instagram

In a phone call with Daily Hive, an employee at Montreal’s Notre-Dame Basilica confirmed that at 1 pm this afternoon, the basilica rang its bells in honour of Paris’ timeless Notre-Dame Cathedral.

When asked if the basilica would continually ring its bells to honour Paris today, the employee said it’s unlikely they’ll continue as “everything happened so quickly.” She said, “everyone here is in shock and the fire is truly heartbreaking.”

Twitter user Simon Plourde shared a video of the ringing bells from this afternoon and it’s absolutely heartwrenching.

Notre-Dame Basilica’s Pastor, Miguel Castellanos, took to Facebook to send out his thoughts and prayers for the iconic building.

With files from Kellie Paxian.

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