The Notre Dame fire was most likely caused by an electrical short circuit.

The cathedral was in flames just before 7pm on Monday evening, leading to the eventual collapse of the structure's most iconic spire. Firefighters were concerned that they wouldn't be able to save the 850-year-old building, but the main structure remained intact. Sky News reports that a police official said the fire was likely caused by an electrical short circuit. If the cathedral had been on fire for another half an hour, it could have been destroyed entirely. Since the fire, over one billion euro has been raised to restore Notre Dame. Stephane Bern, a French TV personality, who was one of the first people to launch the funding appeal, announced the news yesterday saying: "The billion-euro mark of donations was reached during the day." In less than 48 hours the enormous amount of money flooded in, with most of it coming from French billionaire businessmen. Bernard Arnault’s family and his LVMH luxury goods group donated €200 million to help repair the cathedral, while François-Henri Pinault, a 56-year-old luxury goods group owner of Kering, which owns brands like Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, pledged to give €100 million. French cosmetics company L’Oreal has also donated €200 million, while the Walt Disney Company has given €5 million. French president Emmanuel Macron said the cathedral will be restored within five years.