French native in Lilburn heartbroken by Notre Dame fire

LILBURN, Ga. (FOX 5 Atlanta) - A Lilburn business owner was flooded with text messages Monday urging her to turn on the news and she could not believe her eyes when images from Paris flashed across the screen.

Stephanie Wood grew up just west of Paris and said it was heartbreaking to watch as firefighters battled the flames consuming Notre Dame Cathedral. 

"To see la fleche de Notre Dame falling--my whole body is shivering--it was just so painful to watch," recalled Wood, who owns Neighborhood Lawn Care with her husband. 

Wood last saw the cathedral in person in 2016 when she visited with a friend.

"'Notre Dame' means 'the Lady of Paris.'  I mean, she is you know, such a huge monument in Paris," said Wood.  "She's as big as La Tour Eiffel and so people that come to Paris, the two things they want to see are La Tour Eiffel and Notre Dame."

Despite the destruction, Wood said she is thankful that firefighters were able to contain the flames. 

"I believe that if the stone had broken then there would be no more--there's no way we can rebuild something like that.  There's no way.  So, the fact that she was still standing this morning it's a good feeling to know that it's going to take time to fix, but it's fixable," Wood said.