Smoke clouds darkened Paris as the famed Cathedral Notre Dame de Paris, “Our Lady of Paris” burned, a day after a group of Triton students has visited it.

“I heard about it because someone texted the French [exchange] group chat,” said sophomore Alexandra Flodman, who went on the exchange. “I was kind of shocked because it’s such a historic building[…] I was thinking, there’s no way this could have happened.”

On April 15th, a fire with a currently unknown cause severely damaged the iconic Notre Dame de Paris, the most visited Parisian monument. The fire collapsed the famous spire, damaged the roof and destroyed several religious treasures. It did not “burn down” as many say, but the damage was extensive. The day the fire broke out was also the day that a group of 15 Triton students left Paris after visiting it the day before.

“I was with my French exchange family, in my room, and they called me out and we looked at the news,” said junior Maddie MacDonald. “We were all freaking out.”

“I was really shocked because we had been there the day before,” said junior Marcella Hubbard-Brucher. “Everyone was so sad about it.”

“I feel very lucky,” Flodman said. “I feel very fortunate that I was able to see it before it was ruined.”

“The fire at Notre Dame reminds us that our history never stops,” said Emmanuel Macron, the President of France. The French President has promised to rebuild the cathedral within five years. Experts say it will take a minimum of ten or twenty years to restore the 850 year old building to its former glory.

The tragedy has raised well over a billion dollars for repairs, and the number keeps growing. However, there had been a few critics of this response, saying that the money should be going to things the critics believe are more important. Despite criticisms, the rebuilding will commence as soon as possible.

“We will rebuild Notre Dame, more beautiful than before – and I want it done in the next five years,” said President Emmanuel Macron. “We can do it. After the time of testing comes a time of reflection and then of action.”