Fire broke out in the old Copenhagen Stock Exchange (Børsen) in Denmark dating back to the 17th century, Tuesday morning. The Dutch Renaissance-style building was engulfed in flames, while thick gray smoke rose over the city, images reminiscent of the 2019 fire at Notre Dame Cathedral.
Emergency services announced yesterday afternoon that they had brought the fire under control.
“A large part of the Stock Exchange was damaged by the fire. However, a large part of the valuables was saved,” emergency services director Jakob Wendsted Andersen told the press, adding that almost half of the building was burned.
“We have a lot of work to do after putting out the fire,” he added, saying at around 4pm yesterday afternoon that the fire was “under control”.
The building’s iconic obelisk, 54 meters high, collapsed in flames in the early morning before the eyes of stunned Danes.
Firefighters had been trying since 07.30 (local time; 08.30 Greek time) to save the building, where renovation work was being carried out to celebrate the 400th anniversary of its opening.
The fire broke out from an as-yet-unknown cause under the roof, according to emergency services, which sent around a hundred firefighters to the scene, while police blocked off traffic in sectors of the capital.
Unsurpassed Copenhagen building, among the landmarks of the Danish capital, the old Stock Exchange also houses a very large art collection.
“Some historical buildings, almost entirely made of wood, are incredibly fragile and I think it’s difficult to protect them 100%” from fires, National Museum official Mads Damsbo said earlier.
No injuries were reported as a result of the fire.
“Our Lady of Paris”
“We woke up to a sad sight,” Danish King Frederik I noted in a statement, stressing that “an important part of our architectural heritage was and still is in flames.” His mother, Queen Margrethe, canceled part of her 84th birthday celebrations on Tuesday.
“It hurts the soul of the Danes, years of history are turning to ashes,” Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on the country’s public television.
A resident of the area, Elisabeth Moltke, 45, went to see the destruction: “This is our Notre Dame, it is our national treasure,” she told AFP emotionally.
Copper roof
Several fire trucks surrounded the building that now houses the Danish Chamber of Commerce, a stone’s throw from parliament and the seat of government.
“It’s a copper roof and it’s just impossible to break into,” the emergency services director said earlier. “So the fire had enough time to strengthen and spread throughout the building.”
“400 years of Danish cultural heritage in flames”, commented Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt through H.
Army forces were involved in rescuing works of art.
“We saved several hundred of Børsen’s artworks. Because of their great value, they were taken under police escort to the storage facilities of the National Museum of Denmark,” where they will be examined, explained National Museum official Camilla Jull Bastholm.
Reconstruction
“I have no words. It’s a 400-year-old building that survived all the other fires that destroyed Copenhagen, it’s a terrible loss,” said resident Carsten Rose Lundberg.
Copenhagen Mayor Sophie Hestorp Andersen announced that together with the Chamber of Commerce “they will try to rebuild the building”.
The building is part of “the history of our city, history that we cannot abandon in a sea of flames, and that is why we will do everything we can to rebuild it,” he insisted.
“Whatever happens, we will rebuild Børsen,” assured Chamber of Commerce CEO Brian Mikkelsen.
Many people rushed to save works of art, notably a painting representing the building, recorded footage broadcast by Danish media.
The Copenhagen Stock Exchange, built between 1619 and 1640, during the reign of Christian IV, is one of the oldest buildings in the city.
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