‘A terrible loss’: Fire destroys 17th-century Copenhagen building

Copenhagen:

The fire that engulfed Copenhagen’s 17th-century former stock exchange, destroying the building and toppling its iconic spire, is “under control,” Denmark’s rescue service said on Tuesday.

Amid flames and black smoke, the 54-meter (180-foot-tall) spire plunged into the street below the Bossen Building, which was undergoing renovations, on Tuesday morning.

Shortly after 4:00 pm (1400 GMT), rescue services said the fire was under control.

“The fire is under control and we are currently dealing with what is called final extinguishing efforts,” Emergency Services Director Jacob Widstead Andersen told a news conference. He added that the work would continue “a lot.” Hour”.

More or less half of the building was burned, he said.

Earlier in the day, witnesses watched in tears as more than 100 firefighters struggled to save the building.

“This is our Notre Dame! This is a national treasure,” local resident Elisabeth Moltke, 45, told AFP.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told public broadcaster DR. “It pains us all to see Bolsen on fire in the center of Copenhagen. This is our common cultural heritage”.

Frederiksen lamented that “hundreds of years of history were reduced to ashes in flames.”

Denmark’s King Frederik X said in a statement that the country woke up to a “sad sight.”

“An important part of our architectural heritage was and still is burning,” the regent said.

Emergency services told reporters that the fire started at around 7:30 am (0530 GMT) under the copper roof of the red-brick building.

As flames and huge plumes of black smoke billowed from the roof, fire engines surrounded the building, which is now home to the Danish Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

– ‘A terrible loss’ –

According to the Danish Chamber of Commerce, the fallen landmark spire is known for its unique design, which consists of four dragons intertwining their tails and is meant to protect the building from enemies and, ironically, fire.

Bolsen Tower, located near Christiansborg’s parliament and seat of government, was commissioned by King Christian IV and built between 1619 and 1640. It is one of Copenhagen’s oldest and most famous landmarks.

The museum houses an extensive art collection and is currently undergoing renovations to celebrate its 400th anniversary.

The images recall the disaster at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, which was gutted by a fire some five years ago to the day. Its spire was also destroyed in the flames.

Carsten Lundberg, an employee at the Danish Chamber of Commerce, said: “I have no words… This is a 400-year-old building that has survived all the other fires that leveled Copenhagen.”

“It’s a terrible loss,” Lundberg said.

Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt said in a post on move.

Images from the scene show several people carrying the artwork.

Troops from the Danish military were also sent to the scene, specifically to try to evacuate the artwork.

-“anyway”-

Vedsted Andersen said much of the building was severely damaged beyond repair and for hours attention focused on trying to save the building’s facade.

“A large part of the stock exchange was severely damaged in the fire. But most of the valuables were saved,” he told reporters.

Speaking outside the burning building, Copenhagen Mayor Sophie Hellstorp Andersen said the city and the Danish Chamber of Commerce had decided to try to repair the building, but details, including funding, would have to be decided later.

“This is part of the story of how our city was built, and we cannot leave that story in flames, so we will do whatever it takes to rebuild the city,” she told reporters.

Brian Mikkelsen, president of the Danish Chamber of Commerce, later told a news conference that the board had decided to rebuild Bosen “no matter what.”

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