Notre Dame fire: Firefighters leave cathedral as structure is secured four days after blaze

Architects and construction workers have managed to stabilise the damaged structure of Notre Dame cathedral, four days after it was engulfed in a huge blaze.

Firefighters are set to leave the site on Friday night after days spent trying to cool the 850-year-old structure.

Earlier, the Paris cathedral's rector said a "computer glitch" may have been behind the rapidly spreading inferno that devastated the cathedral.

Fire brigade Lt Col Gabriel Plus said: “There is no more risk the edifice's walls could fall down.

"It's a miracle that the cathedral is still standing, and that all the relics were saved.”

The fire burned through the network of enormous centuries-old oak beams supporting the monument's vaulted stone ceiling, dangerously weakening the building.

The surrounding neighbourhood was blocked off as stones continued to tumble off the sides of the cathedral after Monday evening's devastating blaze.

On Thursday, Paris police investigators said they believe an electrical short-circuit most likely caused the fire.

The Parisien newspaper has reported that a computer glitch might have misdirected firefighters responding to the initial fire alarm.

They also said investigators are looking into whether the fire was linked to temporary elevators being used in a renovation that was underway at the time the cathedral caught fire.

Charlotte Hubert, president of a group of French architects who specialize in historic monuments, told BFM television that experts plan to spread a custom-made peaked tarpaulin across the cathedral's roof, with enough space to also shield workers rebuilding the frame.

French President Emmanuel Macron has already met with officials from UNESCO, who have offered their technical expertise to help with the reconstruction.

Mr Macron is moving quickly on the fire-ravaged monument's reconstruction, which is being viewed both as a push to make it part of his legacy and a way to move past the divisive yellow vest protests over social inequality in France.

Notre Dame's reconstruction is prompting widespread debate across France, with differing views over whether it should involve new technologies and designs.

The President has said he wants a "contemporary architectural gesture to be considered" for the collapsed 19th-century spire, which wasn't part of the original cathedral.

He hasn't offered any specifics on his vision for the roof or whether the frame should be wood, metal or concrete, according to his cultural heritage envoy, Stephane Bern.

He has named a general, Jean-Louis Georgelin, former chief of staff of the armed forces, to lead the reconstruction effort.

Over $1 billion has already poured in from people from all walks of life around the world to restore Notre Dame.

Judith Kagan, a conservation official at France's Culture Ministry, said the artworks inside the cathedral had suffered no major damage from the fire and were being removed from the building for their protection.