SAN FRANCISCO, April 15 (Xinhua) -- San Francisco Mayor London Breed on Monday voiced solidarity with the people of French capital Paris over a huge fire that engulfed the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris earlier in the day.
"As we watch the devastation at Notre Dame Cathedral, San Francisco's thoughts are with the people of Paris, our Sister City, and those who continue to battle the flames," Breed said in a tweet.
A huge blaze broke out on Monday afternoon at Notre Dame Cathedral in central Paris.
Online footage showed the spire of the cathedral collapsed in the fire as firefighters were fighting to put the blaze under control.
The fire was thought to be linked to renovation works being carried out at the medieval cathedral, one of the French capital's tourist magnets.
San Francisco formally established the ties of sister city with Paris in 1997, which connected "two of the most beautiful cities on Earth" to promote their arts and cultural exchanges, according to the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development.
