Fairfax County high school students witness Notre Dame Cathedral fire while studying abroad

Science teacher Derwin Grant and several Fairfax County high school students witnessed the unthinkable while on their study abroad trip to Paris Monday.

The group of high school students from Herndon, West Springfield and Hayfield Secondary had just visited Notre Dame Cathedral the day before it went up in flames, as part of their Spring Break trip through France.

"The following day, we were enjoying ourselves at Sacre-Cœur, the temple, and we heard that there was a fire. We went outside and were actually able to see the fire," said Grant. "It was pretty horrific, everyone was in a panicked state…very concerned. Then we found out it was Notre Dame and we all just were really sad."

Meanwhile, Nicole Dottin, a Falls Church resident currently on vacation in Paris, says she spent the picturesque afternoon playing tourist and snapping pictures of the cathedral on Monday, only to return 30 minutes later to witness the historic building engulfed in flames.

"Everyone was running down the street to basically see what was going on. Even from where I was standing, which was a couple blocks back, you could still feel the heat and you could definitely smell the fire," said Dottin.

The devastation was also felt thousands of miles away here at home.

As social media was flooded with people sharing their memories and pictures in front of Notre Dame, others expressed their support by leaving flowers outside of the French Embassy.

"When I saw the pictures, I said 'Oh, it's a science fiction film,' but then I saw 'Breaking News' and it was something true… for the French people, it is a symbol of… I'm sorry…," said Bernard Abeille, becoming emotional.

The school will return to the U.S. on Sunday.