The 'most precious treasures' which were kept inside Notre Dame Cathedral have been saved, France's culture minister has said.
Items which survived the devastating blaze include the Crown of Thorns Catholic relic and the tunic of Saint Louis.
Around 400 firefighters worked for more than 12 hours through the night, battling to stop the complete destruction of the treasured facade after flames torched the roof, sending its spire crashing to the ground on Monday evening.
Despite initial fears that the whole building was in danger of being engulfed, many of the most treasured items stored inside the cathedral have been saved.
Notre Dame Cathedral fire: First pictures from inside show devastating aftermath
French culture minister Franck Riester said some of the treasures were stored overnight in the Paris town hall and would be moved to the Louvre museum "as soon as possible".
He said major paintings are not likely to be removed until Friday morning, adding: "They have not been damaged but there could be some damage from the smoke so we are going to take them safely and place them in the Louvre where they will be dehumidified and they will be protected, conserved and then restored."
He said that the cathedral's greatest paintings will be removed starting on Friday, adding: "We assume they have not been damaged by the fire but there will eventually be damage from the smoke."
Jean-Marc Fournier, the chaplain of Paris Fire Brigade, is being hailed as a hero for his role in the recovery of the Crown of Thorns.
Speaking to reporters at the cathedral, Paris' 15th district mayor Philippe Goujon said Father Fournier insisted on being allowed to enter the edifice with fire fighters and played a role in the relic's rescue.
Investigators believe the fire was caused by accident, possibly as a result of restoration work taking place.
Two police officers and one firefighter were injured during the blaze.
Meanwhile, the director of Unesco says expert work must be carried out immediately to protect Notre Dame Cathedral's remaining structure.
Audrey Azoulay told The Associated Press that it is too early to say whether the treasured rose windows of Notre Dame are unscathed because art experts have not been able to study the site yet.
She said the first 24-48 hours are crucial to protecting the stone and wood structure from water damage and assessing next steps.
She warned that parts of the cathedral remain "extremely fragile", notably hundreds of tonnes of scaffolding set up around the cathedral spire that collapsed.
She said Notre Dame has "a particular place in the world's collective imagination".
Notre Dame is part of a Unesco heritage site that includes the surrounding quais and islands, and Unesco has offered its expertise to help rebuild.
