As France continued to mourn the devastation of Notre Dame, the cathedral inferno brought back memories of the night York Minster was also devastated by fire following a freak lightning strike.
In the early hours of Monday, July 9 in 1984,, lightning lit up the sky over York.
At around 2.30am a fire alarm triggered York's Clifford Street and Acomb fire stations, where members of Red Watch were on duty.
READ MORE: The York Minster fire
READ MORE: Previously unpublished photos
False alarms at the historic Minster were nothing new to the fire service but as the fire pumps arrived in Deansgate the smell of burning and smoke told them this was the real deal. As they rushed to set up the first flames could already been seen licking around the building's roof.
The fire was in the space between the South Transept roof and the ceiling below. As with Notre Dame the flames had an unhindered path across the building and the fire was fed by the wood used in the Minster's construction.
Despite a heroic effort it soon became obvious the South Transept could not be saved. As burning wood and molten lead poured down, the crews were forced to retreat.
The crews battled throughout the night to save the Nave and Central Tower. It wasn't until 5.24am that the blaze was declared under control.
Twelve of North Yorkshire's 21 fire stations had been mobilised, and 114 firefighters and ten officers were directly involved in fighting the fire.
The damage was estimated at more than £1m. That sounds like an almost modest figure nowadays, especially when the cost of rebuilding Notre Dame is estimated at billions of euros, but it was a huge blow back in 1984. The final bill was more than £2m.
But experts at York said restoring Notre-Dame was "quite achievable".
John David, a master mason at York Minster, told the BBC that Notre-Dame could be rebuilt using traditional crafts.
Mr David, who was working at the Minster in 1984 and dealt with the reconstruction, said work to repair the building may take time, but it would be done properly.
Meanwhile an investigation is underway in Paris to establish what caused last night's inferno.
Investigators believe the fire was caused by accident, possibly as a result of restoration work taking place at the global architectural treasure.
The tragedy has prompted an outpouring of support, with the Queen saying she was "deeply saddened" and world leaders pledging to help France rebuild the cathedral.
The fire, which broke out as the last crowds of tourists ended visits at around 6pm BST (7pm local time), was finally declared to be "fully extinguished" more than 12 hours later on Tuesday morning.
Speaking in front of the cathedral, junior Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said: "The task overnight was to bring the fire under control so it doesn't re-start.
"The task is - now the risk of fire has been put aside - about the building, how the structure will resist."
The Paris Fire Service, Pompiers de Paris, said on Twitter that Notre Dame's structure and artworks had been saved.
It said: "The structure of the cathedral is saved and the main works of art have been safeguarded, thanks to the combined action of the various state services committed to our side."
Fifty people are working on a "long" and "complex" investigation into the cause, Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz told reporters.
Investigators will interview workers from five companies hired to work on renovations to the cathedral roof.
Gabriel Plus, a spokesman for Paris firefighters, said emergency services were currently "surveying the movement of the structures and extinguishing smouldering residues".
In a message to President Emmanuel Macron, the Queen said: "I extend my sincere admiration to the emergency services who have risked their lives to try to save this important national monument."
Scores of Parisians gathered on the banks of the Seine as the sun rose on Tuesday morning to survey the damage to their beloved landmark.
Ashes from the cathedral's spire blew across the banks of the river, along with the blossom from Notre Dame's gardens.
Daniel Etieve, 70, said: "It's a very sad picture. For over 800 years this cathedral has been passed from generation to generation.
A 55-year-old art historian, who gave his name as Fabrice, said it was "hard to believe that this is happening in Paris - part of ourselves has been destroyed". he said.
"I always go for a walk in this area every day and come to see Notre Dame. It's like coming to visit an elderly parent."
Mr Plus said that now the fire is out, "this phase is for the experts" to plan how to consolidate the edifice.
Hundreds of millions of euros have been pledged to rebuild the national monument, while Mr Macron said a national subscription would be launched when he visited the scene on Monday night.
French tycoon Bernard Arnault and his luxury goods group LVMH have pledged 200 million euro (£173 million) towards the reconstruction of Notre Dame, following a reported 100 million euro (£86 million) donation from another French billionaire, Francois Pinault.
And the UK ambassador to France, Ed Llewellyn, said the country stands ready to help with efforts to restore the building.
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