A cathedral in France has been engulfed by flames as footage shows plumes of black smoke filling the sky.

The spire of the Notre-Dame de Rouen Cathedral in Normandy caught on fire on Thursday as emergency services rush to the scene, the Mayor of Rouen has said.

Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol said: "Start of fire in progress on the spire of the cathedral of @Rouen.

"Origin unknown at this stage. All public resources are mobilised. Thank you for facilitating their intervention."

A cathedral in France has been engulfed by flames as footage shows plumes of black smoke filing the skyX

The cathedral spire was undergoing work which involved large scaffolding structures in place.

"The construction site is complex because of this height with very large scaffolding structures," Richard Duplat, chief architect from Historic Monuments told Tendance Ouest.

The local prefect - a state official - said the cathedral had been evacuated and emergency services were on the scene.

A security cordon has also been erected around the building.

The gothic structure was painted several times by impressionist artist Claude Monet in the 19th century.

People in the streets below the fire have been spotted looking up in horror.

It comes after the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris set alight in 2019.