Reporter toured Notre Dame just hours before destructive fire

Debris is seen inside Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)

A man kneels as people came to watch and photograph the Notre Dame cathedral after the fire in Paris, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Experts are assessing the blackened shell of Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral to establish next steps to save what remains after a devastating fire destroyed much of the almost 900-year-old building. With the fire that broke out Monday evening and quickly consumed the cathedral now under control, attention is turning to ensuring the structural integrity of the remaining building. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

A hole is seen in the dome inside the damaged Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)

Holes seen in the dome inside the damaged Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)

Firefighters talk near the rose window of Notre Dame cathedral Tuesday April 16, 2019 in Paris. Experts assessed the blackened shell of Paris' iconic Notre Dame Tuesday morning to establish next steps to save what remains after a devastating fire destroyed much of the cathedral that had survived almost 900 years of history. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

People make pictures of Notre Dame cathedral Tuesday April 16, 2019 in Paris. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Experts inspect the damaged Notre Dame cathedral after the fire in Paris, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Experts are assessing the blackened shell of Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral to establish next steps to save what remains after a devastating fire destroyed much of the almost 900-year-old building. With the fire that broke out Monday evening and quickly consumed the cathedral now under control, attention is turning to ensuring the structural integrity of the remaining building. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

A man walks nside the damaged Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)

People attend a vigil in Paris, Tuesday April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

People take photos of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Tuesday April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

People gather ahead of a vigil at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Tuesday April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

People walk toward the Notre Dame Cathedral to attend a vigil, in Paris, Tuesday April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

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By Madelyn Reese Special to the Las Vegas Review-Journal

April 16, 2019 - 4:26 pm

PARIS — She looked exactly how I remembered her from the first time I saw her nine years ago — the Notre Dame Cathedral. Our Lady of Paris, seemingly all alone on her own island in the middle of the Seine.

There was a little bit of extra scaffolding this time and the crowds seemed perhaps a bit larger. But the same incredible stonework towered above me on Monday, and the stained glass rose windows still glowed as I paced the uneven floors inside.

I didn’t spend more than 45 minutes there as I continued to play the American tourist: I strolled along the Seine, stopped for coffee and pastries often, and lounged on the lawn in front of the Eiffel tower.

It was 7:30 p.m., and I was preparing to wash off the day’s grit when my boyfriend walked into the hallway of the apartment where we are spending the week.

“Hey, uh, we got really lucky today,” he said.

“Lucky? Why?”

“The Notre Dame is on fire right now.”

He continued to read the live updates as I slowly washed up. I didn’t think it could possibly be that bad. The building was made of stone, right?

Then he found a Twitter livestream from just below the cathedral on the banks of the Seine. I sat down on the bed and watched the screen as the flames seemed to take up the whole sky.

At first we didn’t think we could see any of the devastation from where we were staying in the southeast section of the city. But then I leaned farther over our balcony, and there it was — the orange flames and plume of smoke were unmistakable.

My heart sank and continued to sink with the setting sun. The flames seemed to grow brighter as the hours wore on.

When would it stop? Why did this happen today? How had I been one of the last people to experience the cathedral as it has existed for the past two centuries?

The sound of emergency sirens took over the pulse of the city as I stood on the balcony until dark. By the time I went to sleep, the heart of the city still glowed orange.

Former Review-Journal staff writer Madelyn Reese is in Paris and toured the Notre Dame Cathedral just hours before it caught fire Monday.