【2009 Archives】

France's iconic Notre-Dame cathedral009 Archivesengulfed in flames, and officials let Trump know that his suggestions were not helpful.

Completed in 1345 after nearly 250 years of construction, the centuries-old cathedral caught fire on Monday. The exact cause is still unknown, but according to the BBC, officials say recent renovation work could be linked to the blaze.

Horrified onlookers watched the spire and ceiling collapse in the flames.

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President Trump expressed his condolences on Twitter and suggested using "flying water tankers" to dampen the fire.

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Two hours later, the French civil security and crisis management account politely subtweeted Trump. Note that this particular tweet is in English while the account's previous tweets are in French.

"All means are being used, except for water-bombing aircrafts," the agency tweeted, explaining that if the Paris Fire Brigade were to use Trump's suggestion, what's left of the cathedral could collapse entirely.

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Twitter users quickly picked up on the subtle drag.

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"We're not sure of being able to stop the spread of the fire in the north belfry," a spokesman for the Parisian fire brigade said in television interviews. He said the fire had started in Notre-Dame's attic, and around 400 firefighters were deployed to the site. "I leave you to imagine, in that case, the extent of the damage."

As of Monday evening, a French official announced that Notre-Dame has been saved from "total destruction." They're still scrambling to preserve the priceless artifacts stored in the cathedral.

The cathedral was in "dire need" of restoration, the New York Timesreports. Renovations cost about 120 million euros, according to ABC News.