Notre Dame engulfed in flames as firefighters battle to save it

The roof and spire of the historic cathedral have collapsed, with firefighters still working to contain the blaze.

6.58am

People wandering streets of Paris 'in disbelief'

Australian tourist Charlotte Knightly said the Notre Dame fire felt like a "huge loss" for the people of Paris.

"It really feels like something huge has happened. People are just sort of wandering the streets in disbelief. No-one is laughing or anything like that," she told Nine.

"It didn't feel right for us to go celebrate Paris in any way. In fact, we just came home because the streets are just full of people who don't know what to do. It feels like a huge loss."

Another Australian told the Today show the mood around Paris was "really low".

"We've just had dinner in a bar not far from where we're staying and it's blanketing the news over here, and the barman couldn't talk about it," he said.

"My partner asked him how he felt about what was going on, and he was emotional and he said he couldn't talk about it, so it's a big thing to the French."

6.48am

'The fire was immense': witnesses describe watching spire collapse

Australian tourist David White has told the Today show he was walking along the River Seine with his partner when they noticed the Notre Dame fire.

"The fire was immense. It was enormous and the smoke was just huge, overwhelming," he said.

"We actually saw from where we were part of the spire that fell. And it just - straight after the spire fell, the sky virtually went not black but the scene around the towers - the bell towers really darkened.

"Even from the distance we were at ... the flames were so visible."

Charlotte Knightly, from Melbourne, told Nine she watched the roof collapse in disbelief.

"As we were crossing the bridge we noticed the smoke and we stopped and said 'is that really the Notre Dame? Is this really happening right now?' The whole thing was engulfed in flames - I can't even describe it - and then the whole thing collapsed. We were just standing there watching in complete awe. I'm still in shock. I have goosebumps. People were crying."

6.33am

'Everything is burning': Notre Dame on fire

A fire has engulfed Paris' historic Notre Dame cathedral.

Firefighters have been battling the inferno for more than three hours, but could not save the roof or spire of the famous church.

"Everything is burning, nothing will remain from the frame," Notre Dame spokesman Andre Finot told French media.

The out-of-control blaze has spread to one of the cathedral's iconic rectangular towers, and there are fears the edifice could also be destroyed.

Follow our live blog for updates on the tragic blaze.