Notre Dame fire: Search for 'father and daughter' captured in touching photo before blaze goes viral

PARIS - A touching photo taken just before a devastating fire ripped through the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is being widely shared online in hopes of finding the man and young girl in the image.

Twitter user Brooke Windsor said she captured a sweet moment between an unidentified "father and daughter" in front of the cathedral Monday about an hour before the historic landmark when up in flames.

"I almost went up to the dad and asked if he wanted it. Now I wish I had," Windsor said in her tweet. "Twitter if you have any magic, help him find this."

Windsor said she doesn't know the exact relation between the two.

"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," she said in another tweet.

She's now asking for the Internet to help share her photo in hopes of finding the man and young girl playing happily outside the Notre Dame Cathedral.

At the time of this post, the pair have not been identified. Windsor's photo has been retweeted more than 160,000 times.

Monday's fire sent smoke and ash into the air of France's capital. At one point, the 315-foot spire collapsed but fire crews were able to save the two iconic towers and facade of the church.

Historic artwork, a cross and many other religious relics were also saved from the blaze.

Photos: Daylight reveals damage at Notre Dame Cathedral

The chief architect of Cologne cathedral said it could take decades to repair the nearly 900-year-old structure. As France mourned the damage to one of its national treasures, billionaires and companies from around the world pledged to donate millions to help finance the repairs.

While French authorities said they were unsure what caused the fire, investigators were treating it as an accident. Authorities were investigating whether construction that was part of a $6.8 million renovation project near the spire was a factor in the blaze.

This story was reported on from Los Angeles. The Associated Press contributed.