The search for the man and little girl who were captured in front of Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral just one hour beforethe beloved landmark erupted in flamesis officially over.
Three days after Twitter user Brooke Windsorset out to locate the father-daughter duo captured in her viral photo, she announced on Thursday that they had finally been found.
Though Windsor did not disclose their identities — the man and his daughter wished to remain anonymous — she said they were grateful for the scenic shot and planned on treasuring it for years to come.
“The search is over! The photo has reached the dad & family. He has chosen to remain anonymous in the wake of tragedy, and writes: ‘Thanks again for that beautiful photo, we will find a special place for it,'” shetweeted.
“Thank you to everyone who has shared the picture and for your kind words,” Windsor continued.
In a separate tweet, Windsoradded, “He reached out to me here on Twitter. I knew y’all could do it”
Courtesy Brooke Windsor
“I took this photo as we were leaving #NotreDame about an hour before it caught on fire,”Windsor tweeted. “I almost went up to the dad and asked if he wanted it. Now I wish I had. Twitter if you have any magic, help him find this.”
Within three days, the post received over 470,000 likes and was retweeted more than 225,000 times.
AP/Shutterstock
The devastating fire broke out Monday evening and destroyed the roof of the 850-year-old building along with its towering spire.
The Catholic church is aworld-famous landmarkfor the French capital, second only to the Eiffel Tower, and has been a center of religious and cultural life for centuries.
Pedestrians flooded the streets, with many in tears as they watched the blaze, oneParis resident previously told PEOPLE. As the fire raged on, a crowd gathered near the cathedral to sing “Ave Maria.”
GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT/AFP/Getty
French President Emmanuel Macron gave an impassioned speech outside the building Monday night, vowing to rebuild the historic structure.
“The worst has been avoided, but the battle isn’t fully won yet,” Macron said. “It is with pride I tell you tonight we will rebuild this cathedral … we will rebuild Notre Dame because it is what the French expect of us, it is what our history deserves, it is, in the deepest sense, our destiny.”
Thibault Camus/AP/REX/Shutterstock
Additionally, the cathedral’s 18th-century organ and a famous statue of the Virgin Mary inside the cathedral appears to be safe, according toUSA Today.
As of Wednesday morning, nearly €800 million ($995 million)had been raisedfor what is sure to be a massive rebuilding project, Presidential cultural heritage envoy Stephane Berntoldbroadcaster France-Info.
source: people.com
