Brian Mikkelsen, director of the Danish Chamber of Commerce, headquartered in the Old Stock Exchange, and his staff studied a binder containing photos of paintings to be saved. These were taken to the Danish parliament and national archives, located around the corner from the burning building.
“We were able to save a lot of things,” Brian Mikkelsen told the press, visibly moved. It’s a national disaster. »
He also helped rescue paintings and other valuables from the flames, and said they had to use tools such as a crowbar to free them.
The fire broke out on Tuesday morning in the copper roof of the Old Stock Exchange, or Boersen, and spread to a large part of the building and the roof, parts of which also collapsed, and destroyed the interior of the building, revealed fire brigade spokesperson Jakob Vedsted Andersen.
“The fire is still not under control,” warned Jakob Vedsted Andersen, adding that half of the building had been destroyed and collapsed. He added that there was no risk of the fire spreading to other buildings. Firefighters said they expected to remain on scene for the next 24 hours.
Tommy Laursen, of Copenhagen police, said it was too early to say what caused the fire and that they could enter the building in “a few days”.
Firefighters, who were reportedly pumping water from the nearby canal, were seen spraying water into the doorway of the Golden Hall of the Old Stock Exchange, used for gala dinners, conferences, parties and other events, and where many paintings hang.
The building, which sits next to Christiansborg Palace where parliament sits, is a popular tourist attraction and has been photographed millions of times. Its characteristic spire, shaped like the tails of four dragons coiled together, reaches a height of 56 meters.
Huge plumes of smoke rose above central Copenhagen and people were seen rushing inside the building to save paintings. The plume was visible from southern Sweden, which is separated by a narrow waterway.
Ambulances attended the scene, but no casualties were reported. A spokesperson for the company renovating the building said the carpenters working on the roof had all come out.
Up to 90 members of an army unit were also deployed from a nearby base to cordon off the area and “secure valuables”, the Danish armed forces said.
King Frederik wrote on Instagram that “they woke up to the sad spectacle” of “an important part of our architectural heritage” destroyed by the flames.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen wrote that “irreplaceable cultural heritage” and “a piece of Danish history are on fire”.
“It hurts to see,” Mette Frederiksen wrote on Instagram.
The building and spire were surrounded by scaffolding, which later collapsed in the fire. The roof, masonry, sandstone and spire of Boersen ― built in 1615 and considered a major example of the Dutch Renaissance style in Denmark ― were being renovated, said the Chamber of Commerce, which set up shop in the building after the departure of the Copenhagen Stock Exchange in 1974. The Chamber owns the building.
The nearby Christiansborg Palace has burned down several times, and most recently, in 1990, a fire broke out in an annex of the Danish parliament, known as Proviantgaarden. The old Stock Exchange, however, survived without damage.
This annex, which is located in the block behind the old Stock Exchange, was evacuated as a precaution, as were the various ministries located in the street behind the burning building.
Police told social network X that a main road in Copenhagen was closed and the area was expected to be cordoned off for some time. Several bus lines were diverted and Danish media reported huge traffic jams in the surrounding area.
Queen Margrethe, who celebrated her 84th birthday on Tuesday, toned down the celebrations due to the fire, television channel TV2 said. A Royal Guard band was due to play for the former monarch outside Fredensborg Castle, where she is staying for the spring and summer, but the event was canceled.
