Devastating images capture Copenhagen Stock Exchange destroyed

16 April 2024 , 10:22

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A blanket of smoke covers the roof of the Old Stock Exchange in Copenhagen (Image: Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Ima)

Devastating images shows the extent of the damage caused by the blaze at the Copenhagen Stock Exchange this morning.

A huge fire at the historic Børsen building in the Danish capital has left the country reeling as officials and local residents lamented the loss of a major cultural heritage site. Hours later, emergency responders continue to desperately try to bring the inferno under control. A new set of images show enormous plumes of thick, acrid smoke covering the roof of the Old Stock Exchange as firefighters use hoses to tackle the blaze.

Footage released earlier showed the moment that the building's iconic spire broke off the roof and tumbled on to the street below. Denmark's Minister for Culture Jakob Engel-Schmidt took to Twitter to announce his sadness over the "terrible pictures" circulating of the fire. He said: "How touching it is to experience how the employees at Børsen, good people from the emergency services and passing Copenhageners collaborate[d] to save art treasures and iconic images from the burning building."

The smoke could be seen across the city (Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Ima)

A passerby summed up the feelings of local residents, saying: "It's horrible. It was one of the city's most beautiful buildings. I pass by here every day It's Notre Dame all over again." The Danish Chamber of Commerce, which owns the building, said: "We are met with a terrible sight. The stock market is on fire. We ask everyone to stay away from the area around Slotsholmen." Danish Culture Minister said that 400 years of the country's cultural heritage had gone up in flames today after seeing the "terrible pictures".

The building - which dates back to 1625 making it one of the city's oldest - is currently undergoing renovations to return the facade to its original design. There had been scaffolding in place before the fire. The Stock Exchange is topped with a dragon-tailed spire which, according to legend, is said to guard it against enemy attacks and fire. Before today, there were several instances when the property was spared from fire damage after infernos broke out in nearby buildings, according to Visit Copenhagen.

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Police received reports about smoke at the historic Børsen building at around 8am local time (Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Ima)

Police received reports about smoke at the historic Børsen building at around 8am local time (7am GMT). A spokesperson said: "Due to a fire in Børsen, we have a strong presence in the centre of Copenhagen. Traffic towards the city on Knippelsbro is blocked. We expect the area to be cordoned off for a longer period of time. We encourage road users to find alternative routes."

A later update said: "We are now in the process of evacuating the buildings from the Ministry of Finance and down towards the water. We continue to reroute the traffic around Slotsholmen [the street where Børsen is located]." Copenhagen's fire brigade said: "We are on our way to #slotsholmsgade for a report of heavy smoke from the roof..... Updating......."

Ryan Fahey