Firefighters scale scaffolding at burning Notre Dame Cathedral to fight the flames

On Monday, the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France erupted in flames, which caused its spire and roof to collapse. Desperate to save as much of the building as they could, firefighters in Paris reportedly climbed up the scaffolding surrounding the cathedral while the fire was still burning.

Here's what we know

In an image tweeted by British journalist Henry Jones, firefighters can be seen climbing up the scaffolding next to the building. This scaffolding was put in place as part of a $6.8 million restoration project that was ongoing at the time. French authorities suspect that the fire was somehow started due to this restoration work.

Both the spire and roof of the cathedral have completely collapsed, and the fire has spread to one of the building's square towers.

Construction on the cathedral began more than eight centuries ago.

Video from the fire shows firefighters spraying a hose from halfway up the scaffolding.

Canada's CBC News reported that firefighters were also trying to salvage some of the cathedral's priceless works of art. According to CNN, 400 firefighters are involved in trying to combat this disaster.