Paris, April 15 (IANS) A fire broke out at Paris's iconic, over eight-century-old Notre-Dame cathedral on Monday, media reports said.

The cause of the fire was yet not known, but officials say it could be linked to renovation work at the 850-year-old heritage structure, the BBC reported.

A major operation is under way to tackle the blaze, which broke out in the afternoon, and an area surrounding the building in central Paris has been cleared, it quoted officials as saying.

The building has not been in good shape and last year, the Catholic Church in France launched an urgent appeal for funds to save it.

--IANS vd