Key Points
- The fire began in the copper roof of the Old Stock Exchange and spread to much of the building and the roof.
- The building is a popular tourist attraction and has been photographed millions of times.
- The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
Fire has raged through one of Copenhagen's oldest buildings, causing the collapse of the iconic spire from the 17th-century Old Stock Exchange as passers-by rushed to help emergency services save priceless paintings and other valuables.
Brian Mikkelsen, chief of the Danish Chamber of Commerce, which is headquartered in the Old Stock Exchange, and his staff were seen scrolling through a binder with photos of paintings to be saved. “It is a national disaster," Mikkelsen told reporters. Source: AAP / Mads Claus Rasmussen
The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
A spokesman for the company working on renovating the building said the carpenters who worked on the roof had all escaped the fire. Source: Getty / Anadolu
Its distinctive spire, in the shape of the tails of four dragons twined together, reached a height of 56 metres.
The roof of the 17th-century old Stock Exchange, or Boersen, which was once Denmark’s financial centre, was engulfed in flames on Tuesday. Source: AP / Linda Kastrup
Firefighters who reportedly pumped water from the nearby canal were seen spraying water through the doorway of the Old Stock Exchange's gilded hall that is used for gala dinners, conferences, parties and other events and where many of the paintings hung. Source: AAP / Mads Claus Rasmussen
"This is our Notre-Dame! This is a national treasure," local resident, 45-year-old Elisabeth Moltke, told AFP.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen wrote that "irreplaceable cultural heritage" and "a piece of Danish history is on fire". Source: AAP / Ida Marie Odgaard
King Frederik wrote on Instagram that "they woke up to a sad sight" of "an important part of our architectural heritage" being destroyed by the flames.
The building and the spire had been encased in scaffolding, which later collapsed in the fire.
The roof, masonry, sandstone and spire of Boersen — built in 1615 and considered a leading example of Dutch Renaissance style in Denmark — was being renovated, said the Chamber of Commerce, which moved into the building after Copenhagen's stock exchange left in 1974.
Former Danish Minister of Culture Brian Mikkelsen assists with the evacuation of paintings from the Boersen burning in Copenhagen. Source: AAP / Ida Marie Odgaard
However, the Old Stock Exchange survived unscathed.
