Man and girl in viral photo outside Notre Dame cathedral found

The father and daughter captured in a viral photograph in front of Notre Dame an hour before a massive fire erupted have been found.

Brooke Windsor, who took the photo, tweeted on Thursday morning: “The search is over! The photo has reached the dad and family.”

Hours after the fire broke out on Monday (local time), destroying two thirds of the ancient structure’s roof, she took to Twitter to help find the pair.

The photo is believed to be one of the last photos taken at the historic site before the fire began.

Windsor revealed the father asked to remain anonymous in the wake of the fire.

She said he thanked her for the photo and that he “will find a special place for it.”

“I took this photo as we were leaving #NotreDame about an hour before it caught on fire,” Ms Windsor wrote on Monday in her Twitter appeal.

“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.”

Brooke has thanked social media for their support in finding the father.

“I knew y’all could do it,” she said.

Her post on Monday quickly went viral, receiving more than 460,000 likes and over 200,000 shares.

The fire at the Notre Dame has prompted an outpouring of support from people across the world.

In the past week, nearly $1 billion has been raised from to rebuild the iconic cathedral, including a total of 300 million euros from French billionaires Bernard Arnault and François-Henri Pinault.

A national fundraising campaign is underway from Fondation du Patrimoine, a French heritage organisation.

A judicial police officer has since revealed investigators now believe the blaze was sparked by an electrical “short circuit”.

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