"You have people that are crying. It's just sad; it's a sad moment for everybody. We all lost history, it can never be replaced," Fresno businessman Randy Haron was among the crowd numbed by the unspeakable loss.
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He had just arrived in Paris when the cathedral caught fire.
These were images he never wanted to capture.
"It was pretty unbelievable really. because it's such a great old structure, it's beautiful and just to see it happen was a tragedy," he said.
For Sandrine Logan, who grew up in France, heartbreak doesn't even begin to describe her state of mind.
"My first emotion was disbelief. I had to go online. and I realized this is really truly happening," she said.
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The cathedral has survived more than eight centuries from the French Revolution to the bombs of World War II.
RELATED: VIDEO: Somber crowd sings 'Ave Maria' amid Notre Dame fire
It's why Monday's fire during Holy Week is so difficult to accept.
"For a lot of people, obviously it is a church and a monument, where a lot of people have come over the years to praise our God, and I think it's a real loss," Logan said.
Notre Dame has been so entrenched in French culture at times its beauty has been taken for granted.
Certainly, it won't be anymore.