A major fire consumed Denmark’s Old Stock Exchange building on Tuesday. Video of the fire shows the iconic spire of the historic building, which was built in 1625, collapsing as flames consume the structure.
According to ABC News, the Old Stock Exchange is located in downtown Copenhagen, Denmark, next to the Danish Parliament building. The fire started early Tuesday morning and quickly engulfed the historic building, leading to the collapse of the iconic spire.
ABC News reported that rescue efforts have been launched to salvage some of the artwork and other items from the Old Stock Exchange building.
A video posted by Inside Paper shows the moment the Old Stock Exchange’s spire collapsed. In the video, the spire can be seen breaking in half as part of it crashes to the ground.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Denmark’s Minister of Culture Jakob Engel-Schmidt, wrote, “Terrible pictures from the Stock Exchange this morning. 400 years of Danish cultural heritage in flames.”
In another post, Engel-Schmidt added, “I will do everything I can so that the dragon spire will once again tower over Copenhagen. As a symbol of Denmark’s strong history as a trading nation. Thank you to the hundreds of people who today have contributed to saving Denmark’s cultural heritage and history.”
According to Reuters, the recovery effort of the paintings and other historical artifacts from the Old Stock Exchange building was aided by emergency services, Danish Chamber of Commerce employees, and people passing by on the street.
Copenhagen Fire Department chief Jakob Vedsted Andersen told reporters Tuesday, “We are saving everything we possibly can.”
Reuters reported that the Old Stock Exchange had been under renovation and was covered with scaffolding prior to the start of Tuesday’s fire. While the historic structure is no longer used for Denmark’s stock exchange, the building has continued to serve as the headquarters for the nation’s Chamber of Commerce.
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According to The Associated Press, the Old Stock Exchange building fire started Tuesday morning, quickly spread to multiple floors of the building, and led to the collapse of part of the roof. Anderson said that roughly half of the building was destroyed in the fire.
While Anderson said the fire did not present a risk to other buildings in the area, he explained that firefighters would likely remain on the scene of the fire for approximately 24 hours.
According to Reuters, law enforcement authorities said there were no injuries reported from Tuesday’s fire. Tommy Laursen, a Copenhagen police spokesman, told reporters that the cause of the fire could not be determined immediately and that police officials would be able to enter the remains of the building in “a few days,” according to The Associated Press.
Tim Ole Simonsen, a spokesman for the Greater Copenhagen Fire Department, added, “The fire started in the part of the building where work has been going on, but that’s all I can say about it.”
This was a breaking news story. The details were periodically updated as more information became available.
