PARIS, April 16 —The huge blaze that has devastated Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris has been extinguished, the city’s fire service announced today, around 15 hours after it first broke out.

"The whole fire has been extinguished. Now we’re in the phase of investigating,” spokesman Gabriel Plus told reporters, adding that the fire had spread "very quickly” through the wooden roof of the world-renowned monument.

Briefing reporters in front of Notre-Dame in central Paris, Plus said firefighters had focused during the morning on the cathedral’s two massive bell towers and making sure they had not been damaged.

"That is the case,” he said.

The task now is to monitor the structure, to see if it has moved at all and to put out remaining hot spots, he said, adding that about 100 firemen will remain on site for the whole day. — AFP