Woman starts viral search for dad and daughter captured in sweet photograph just before Notre-Dame fire

A tourist who snapped a poignant image of a man and a young girl playing outside Notre-Dame cathedral an hour before the blaze erupted has issued a plea to track them down.

Brooke Windsor posted the image of the gentleman swinging the child around on Twitter, saying that she believed them to be father and daughter. "I took this photo as we were leaving Notre Dame about an hour before it caught on fire," she wrote. "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."

The photograph, which shows the gothic masterpiece in the sun before flames took hold, was taken at 5:57 PM local time in Paris.

"I do not know for sure if it was a dad and daughter, it’s simply the dynamic I observed from them while debating on interrupting this moment. It may be an uncle, brother, friend, who knows until we find them," Windsor later clarified.

At the time of writing, the picture has been shared over 120,000 times, with over 260,000 likes, and in the comments section, people expressed hope that the man would be located.
Inside Notre-Dame as the fire swept through the cathedral:

"This photo captures connections between generations, between eras. It is so beautiful, so poignant," wrote one Twitter user, while another corroborated "I want to see this as a feel good news story within the next 24 hrs that this picture makes it to that family. [sic]"

"This has easily become my favorite photograph of Notre Dame. I hope you find the father in the photo," a third added.

"Someday that little girl will recreate this beautiful picture with her own child in front of a freshly repaired Notre Dame Cathedral!" wrote another.

The iconic monument, which began construction in 1163, was almost destroyed by a fire on Monday afternoon.

The flames claimed its roof, toppled the spire and has compromised the remaining structure of the building.

However, it has been reported that a number of the cathedral's most previous relics, including the Crown of Thorns, which was believed to have been worn by Jesus Christ during the crucifixion, were rescued.

More than 600 million euros has been donated by billionaires - including Gucci and Saint Laurent mogul, François-Henri Pinault - hoping to repair the French cathedral.

Additionally, French President, Emmanuel Macron, addressed the world outside a still-alight Notre-Dame, and vowed that it would be restored.

"We will appeal to the greatest talents and we will rebuild Notre-Dame because that's what the French are waiting for, because that's what our history deserves, because it's our deepest destiny," he stated.