Historic Copenhagen Stock Exchange Building Collapses in Fire: No Injuries Reported

The main facade of the historic Copenhagen Stock Exchange building, which was set on fire on Tuesday, collapsed on Thursday afternoon, said a spokesman for the Danish fire department. Despite strengthening and efforts to stabilize the load-bearing walls, half of them collapsed.

The fire caused extensive damage to the 17th century Renaissance building, which lost the upper tower and a large part of the roof.

“What we feared happened,” Copenhagen fire chief Jakob Vedsted Andersen told reporters. Hours before the rest of the facade of the four-hundred-year-old building collapsed, the rescue services tried to prevented and placed containers with concrete blocks near the perimeter walls, which were supposed to support the damaged walls and thus prevent the collapse of the historic masonry. However, at 5:00 pm, the facade collapsed .

No one was hurt

In connection with the collapse of the front, several rescue vehicles, including fire engines and ambulances, arrived at the scene. According to the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, a lot of smoke was visible in the area and there was a strong smell of burning wood. No one was injured, authorities said.

The Mayor of Copenhagen, Sophie Haestorp Andersen, said that she was invited to Paris to talk to officials there about her experiences with another person. the fire in Notre-Dame Cathedral five years ago. Haestorpová Andersenová will travel to the French capital next month.

Reconstruction of the outer part Paris Cathedral should be almost ready in July, in total the repairs should be completed in December. “(Paris Mayor Anne) Hidalgo gave me great advice on how to move quickly and also how Paris handled donations,” Haestorp Andersen said.

The fire destroyed the Copenhagen Stock Exchange building at a time when reconstruction was being carried out, which was supposed to return it to its original form. Police investigating the case said it could take several months to determine the cause of the fire.