Authorities responded to a massive fire at Paris Notre Dame cathedral on Monday that spread rapidly through the historic monument, toppling its spire and appearing to spread inside one of its two towers.

Firefighters responded to the scene around 7 p.m. local time on Monday, HuffPost France reported.

While authorities feared in the fires early hours that the entire historic monument could be destroyed, city officials confirmed around 11 p.m. local time that the main structure was saved and preserved .

By early Tuesday morning, Paris firefighters said in a tweet that it took nearly 400 firefighters more than nine hours to extinguish the blaze. Two police officers and a firefighter were slightly injured.

The next hours will be difficult, Frances President Emmanuel Macron said earlier in an address to the crowd gathered outside the cathedral. But thanks to [the firefighters] courage, the facade has not been damaged.

He added that there will be a national effort toward making the repairs.

We will rebuild Notre Dame, because its what the French people expect, he said. Its what our history deserves. Its our profound destiny.

The gravity of the fire is still to be determined, but firefighters said the blaze began in the cathedrals attic. About two-thirds of the buildings roof was destroyed.