A massive fire engulfed the historic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on Monday evening, 3 days ago, destroying the monument’s spire and most of its roof.

The blaze erupted at the centuries old cathedral on Monday around 6:30 pm local time, and news of the fire spread rapidly on social media as people shared photos showing bright orange flames and smoke pouring from a spire of the church.

Jean Claude Gallet, commander of the Paris firefighters, told the New York Times the fire likely started in the attic, which is reinforced with wooden trusses.

The cause of the fire is not yet clear, though prosecutors said a preliminary investigation suggests it appears to be an accident, possibly linked to restoration work. However, a police official in France told The Associated Press that an electrical short-circuit likely caused the blaze. The official spoke anonymously and didn’t reveal their title. The 850 year old church has been in desperate need of repairs and restoration.

Notre Dame was evacuated when the flames broke out, and police evacuated the entire lle de la Cite’, the island where Notre Dame is located by about 8:30 pm local time, according to the Guardian. At least one firefighter was reported seriously injured.

Fire crews and investigators are now assessing the full scale of the damage to the centuries old cathedral less than a day after hundreds of firefighters battled, and finally extinguished, the relentless flames.

Paris fire officials said late Monday that the cathedral’s two main rectangular towers had been “saved and preserved.” But the blaze collapsed the spire and consumed approximately two-thirds of the cathedral’s wooden roof.

The flames damaged Notre Dame’s central nave, photos on social media showed debris littering the area, though the structure appeared to have survived largely unscathed. Officials say the overall structure is holding, but some vulnerabilities have been identified. French Deputy Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, said it would take at least 48 hours to complete that security assessment, after which crews will recover the works of art, which also seem to have mostly withstood the blaze.

French Minister of Culture Frank Riester told reporters that any paintings damaged by the fire should be recovered by today and sent to the Louvre Museum, where they’ll be stored and restored.

Still Many of Notre Dame’s most prized relics were saved, including a crown of thorns believed to be a “band of rushes,” from the original crown thorns placed on Jesus’s head during the crucifixion, according to the Guardian.

President Donald J. Trump, one of many to comment on the affliction of the fire calling the fire, “so horrible to watch.” He also weighed in with his approach to firefighting, suggesting that “flying water tankers” could be used to put it out. However this idea was quickly shot down by France’s Interior Ministry, which noted in a tweet that water-bombing the cathedral would also destroy it.

I asked Juniors Miles Bennett, Daniel Alski, and Nolan Amkhong what their thoughts were on the Cathedral burning down.

“Knowing it’s history and how long its been built, it is very sad loss to the community, I saw how the architecture was very unique so its a shame to see it go.” said Miles

“The castle burning down is really sad because its part of history, its a world icon and a part of history and to have it damaged is very upsetting.” said Daniel

Nolan went on to say, “Notre Dame is one of those structures where it connects with me on an intellectual level because of how old it is and it’s sad to see all the hard work, dedication, and moral meaning of the structure collapse.”