Current:Home > InvestFire rages through the 17th-century Old Stock Exchange in Copenhagen, toppling the iconic spire -Mastery Money Tools
Fire rages through the 17th-century Old Stock Exchange in Copenhagen, toppling the iconic spire
View
Date:2025-04-13 18:57:19
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A fire raged through one of Copenhagen’s oldest buildings on Tuesday, causing the collapse of the iconic spire from the 17th-century Old Stock Exchange as passersby rushed to help emergency services save priceless paintings and other valuables.
Danish Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt said it was “touching” to see how many people lent their hand “to save art treasures and iconic images from the burning building.” One man jumped off his bicycle on his way to work to help in the effort.
The fire began Tuesday morning in the copper roof of the Old Stock Exchange, or Boersen, spread to much of the building and the roof, parts of which also collapsed, and destroyed the building’s interior, said firefighters spokesman Jakob Vedsted Andersen.
“What is left when it has been put out is too early to say now,” Engel-Schmidt told Danish broadcaster DR.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
The building, which is situated next to the Christiansborg Palace where the parliament sits, is a popular tourist attraction and has been photographed millions of times. Its distinctive spire, in the shape of the tails of four dragons twined together, reached a height of 56 meters (184 feet).
Huge billows of smoke rose over downtown Copenhagen and people were seen rushing inside the building to save paintings. The plume could be seen from southern Sweden, which is separated by a narrow waterway.
Ambulances were at the scene but there were no reports of casualties. A spokesman for the company working on renovating the building said the carpenters who worked on the roof had all come out.
Up to 90 members of an army unit were also deployed from a nearby base to cordon off the area and “secure valuables,” Denmark’s armed forces said.
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 Danish Chamber of Commerce, which moved into the building after Copenhagen’s stock exchange left in 1974.
The chamber’s head, Brian Mikkelsen, was among those helping to carry paintings out of the building. “It is a national disaster,” Mikkelsen told reporters.
The adjacent Christiansborg Palace has burned down on several occasions, and most recently in 1990 a fire broke out in an annex of the Danish parliament, known as Proviantgaarden. However, the Old Stock Exchange survived unscathed.
That annex, which lies in the block behind the Old Stock Exchange, was evacuated as a precaution, as were different ministries in the street behind the burning building.
Beside housing the Chamber of Commerce, the Old Stock Exchange is used for gala dinners, conferences, parties and other events.
Police said on the social media platform X that a main road in Copenhagen was closed and people should expect the area to be cordoned off for some time. Several bus lines were rerouted and Danish media reported huge traffic jams in the surrounding area.
veryGood! (45262)
Related
- Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
- The Terrifying Rebecca Schaeffer Murder Details: A Star on the Rise and a Stalker's Deadly Obsession
- 'Too Hot to Handle' cast: Meet Joao, Bri, Chris and other 'serial daters' looking for love
- Trump returns to the campaign trail in Michigan with his new running mate, Vance, by his side
- Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
- Madonna’s son David Banda says he's ‘scavenging’ for food after moving out of mom’s home
- Photos show reclusive tribe on Peru beach searching for food: A humanitarian disaster in the making
- How RHONJ’s Teresa Giudice Helped Costar Danielle Cabral With Advice About Her Kids’ Career
- Trump issues order to ban transgender troops from serving openly in the military
- Florida man arrested, accused of making threats against Trump, Vance on social media
Ranking
- Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
- Travis and Jason Kelce team up with General Mills to create Kelce Mix Cereal: Here's what it is
- Christina Sandera, Clint Eastwood's longtime partner, dies at 61: Reports
- Plane crash in Ohio leaves 3 people dead; NTSB, FAA investigating
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Summer House's Lindsay Hubbard Reveals Sex of First Baby—With Help From Her Boyfriend
- Biden's COVID symptoms have improved meaningfully, White House doctor says
- Is there a way to flush nicotine out of your system faster? Here's what experts say.
Recommendation
'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean
Small businesses grapple with global tech outages created by CrowdStrike
Man shoots and kills grizzly bear in Montana in self defense after it attacks
Psst! J.Crew Is Offering an Extra 70% off Their Sale Right Now, Including Chic Summer Staples & More
The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
As 'Twisters' hits theaters, experts warn of increasing tornado danger
Here are the full 2024 Emmy nominations, with Shogun, The Bear leading the pack
Tampa Bay Rays put top hitter Yandy Diaz on restricted list