Upstate NY Students in Paris Toured Notre Dame Before Blaze Began

The fire at Notre Dame Cathedral hit close to home as some Upstate New York students studying abroad had toured the facility earlier the day the fire struck.

According to a Times Union report, 29 students and 6 chaperones from Shenendehowa schools are all safe and accounted for after they had toured the Notre Dame Cathedral earlier in the day before a fire broke out at the historic building. Shen tweeted Monday that the students and chaperones are all ok, and were home with the host families.

So great to hear that everyone from Shenendehowa is safe, and at this point no injuries due to the blaze have been reported. The centuries old cathedral had been burning for most of the day yesterday, causing the roof and a spire to collapse.

Firefighters on the region say the fire has been contained, and while the damage to the historic cathedral is extensive, the iconic towers have been saved. French President Emanuel Macron has vowed to rebuild, and French billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault - the husband of actress Salma Hayek - has pledged over 100 million dollars towards the rebuilding effort.