Notre Dame fire
The famous Notre Dame cathedral in Paris is on fire, with one worker claiming that the blaze was deliberately set.

The roof of the historic building has completely collapsed.


"The cause is not yet clear, but officials say it could be linked to renovation work," reports the BBC.

However, TIME columnist Christopher J. Hale tweeted, "A Jesuit friend in Paris who works in #NotreDame told me cathedral staff said the fire was intentionally set."

Notre Dame tweet
Hale deleted the tweet within minutes after it attracted attention.

The Saint Sulpice church in Paris was deliberately set on fire earlier this year, although media reports downplayed the story.


As we reported earlier, anti-Christian attacks in France are on the rise while attacks against Jewish symbols have also risen by 74 per cent.

According to a group that studies hate crime attacks against Christians, February was the worst month for attacks on Christian churches since they began collecting data.

According to Ellen Fantini, anti-Christian attacks are being minimized despite representing the largest share of hate crimes.

Also take note of the names of those who were celebrating the fire by reacting with 'smiley faces' on Facebook.