Satellite images of Notre-Dame Cathedral before and after the fire

• Newly released satellite images show Notre-Dame Cathedral before and after Monday’s fire, which destroyed much fo the 800-year-old church’s roof.
• French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to rebuild Notre-Dame, saying he hoped to get the job done in five years.
• Already, $1 billion has been raised from people around the world to rebuild the cathedral.

Satellite images show just how badly Notre-Dame Cathedral was damaged after Monday’s fire.

On Wednesday, DigitalGlobe, a company that produces space imagery, released the satellite images (shown above), showing Notre-Dame back in September 2018, and two days after the fire.

The after image shows the 800-year-old cathedral’s lead roof completely gone, leaving the inner sanctum exposed. Much of the stone is charred black by the blaze that burned for hours.

The aerial images below show the damage from a closer angle.

How the cathedral looked before the fire:

And after:

The fire broke out Monday evening in the attic of the cathedral, an area known as “the forest” for the lattice of wood beams that made up the frame.

After the fire, it was revealed that officials had decided against installing sprinkler systems and firewalls in the attic that could have lessened the devastation, though many similar structures in Europe and the US have been retrofitted with such fire safety measures.

Read more:Before-and-after photos show how the devastating Notre-Dame Cathedral fire has changed the Paris skyline

In an address on Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to rebuild Notre-Dame, saying he hoped to get the job done in five years.

Already, $1 billion has been raised from people around the world, including some of France’s richest men, to rebuild the cathedral.