The fire at the Old Stock Exchange building in Copenhagen, which has been raging since Tuesday morning, April 16, is ” under control “the emergency services said in the afternoon. “We are in the middle of post-extinction work”the director of emergency services, Jakob Vedsted Andersen, told the press, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“A large part of the Stock Exchange was damaged by the fire. But a large part of the valuable objects have been recovered”, the director of emergency services, Jakob Vedsted Andersen, told the press, specifying that around half of the building had burned. The cause of the fire is still unknown.
The fire broke out in the early morning under the roof of the building, currently being renovated, which now houses the Chamber of Commerce and which is located a stone’s throw from Parliament and the seat of government. More than 200 people, including police officers, firefighters and soldiers, took part in the operation. No injuries were reported, emergency services said, while the police have not yet had access to the building and are still blocking parts of the capital to traffic.
“Several hundred works of art” saved
The emblematic spire of the building, 54 meters high, collapsed in the flames early in the morning as the Danes looked on, stunned. Firefighters had been trying since 7:30 a.m. local time to save the structure of the building, where renovation work was underway to celebrate the 400the anniversary of its opening.
Commissioned by King Christian IV, the Copenhagen Stock Exchange was built between 1619 and 1640, making it one of the oldest and most important buildings in the Danish capital. The building also houses a vast collection of art works.
“We have secured several hundred works of art by Borsen. Due to their high value, they were transported under police escort to the reserves of the National Museum of Denmark.where they will be examined, explained an official from the National Museum of Denmark, Camilla Jul Bastholm.
“Sad sight”
The mayor of Copenhagen, Sophie Haestorp Andersen, has already announced that in collaboration with the chamber of commerce they “will try to rebuild the building”. “ [L’édifice fait partie de] the history of the construction of our city, a history that we cannot leave in a sea of flames, and that is why we will also do everything we can to rebuild it here”she added.
“We are facing a terrible spectacle”, https://twitter.com/DanskErhverv/status/1780118160315715638. “We are deeply touched. We are still saving everything we can.”added its director, Morten Langager.
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“We woke up to a sad sight”also reacted the King of Denmark, Frederik X, in a press release, emphasizing that“an important part of[u] architectural heritage was and still is in flames”. His mother, Queen Margrethe, canceled part of her 84th celebrationse birthday which she celebrates this Tuesday. “It hurts the soul of the Danes, years of history are consumed in flames”added Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Danish public television.
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