Architects and construction workers have now stabilized the damaged structure of Notre Dame cathedral, four days after a fast-spreading fire ravaged the iconic Paris building.
A fire brigade spokesperson says firefighters will leave the site sometime in the evening on Good Friday, an important day in the Christian calendar.
Lt. Col. Gabriel Plus told The Associated Press that "there is no more risk the edifice's walls could fall down." He says firefighters have been able to cool down the walls and debris that fell inside the cathedral from the roof.
"It's a miracle that the cathedral is still standing, and that all the relics were saved," he says.
The fire Monday night burned through the network of enormous centuries-old oak beams supporting the monument's vaulted stone ceiling, dangerously weakening the building.
