(Copenhagen) Firefighters worked through the night to put out the fire that engulfed the iconic former Copenhagen Stock Exchange on Tuesday and still plan to stay on site for 24 hours, they announced on Wednesday.
Half of the building dating from the 17th century was burned and the 54 meter high spire collapsed in the flames on Tuesday morning, but emergency services announced late in the afternoon that the fire was under control.
However, the fire was still not extinguished Wednesday morning in the part that was ravaged by the flames.
“This morning, we are still putting out the fire in the burned part where only the exterior walls remain,” the emergency services said on X.
“At the same time, we work with contractors to ensure the stability of the walls,” they add.
PHOTO LISELOTTE SABROE, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
A Danish firefighter works on a crane during the final extinguishing operations, a day after a fire ravaged the historic Boersen Stock Exchange and toppled its iconic spire in Copenhagen on April 17, 2024. Amid flames and black smoke, the 54-meter (180- foot) spire of Copenhagen’s 17th-century former stock exchange crashed into the street below the building on April 16, 2024 morning. (Photo by Liselotte Sabroe / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP) / Denmark OUT
Around 40 containers, each measuring 12 meters long, are placed along the exterior walls of the burned part to support these walls, explained Frank Trier Mikkelsen, a rescue spokesperson at the Ritzau agency.
Firefighters are also monitoring the remaining intact part of the building.
“In the part that we managed to save from the flames, we still have teams ensuring that the flames do not start again. We expect firefighting efforts to continue over the next 24 hours,” they explain.
Several months of investigation
The fire broke out for an unknown reason under the roof and police investigators have not yet been able to access the site.
“It may take several months before we get answers” about the causes of the fire, Danish police said in a statement.
“We have not yet had the opportunity to examine Børsen himself and carry out technical investigations into the fire,” said a police official in charge of the investigation, Brian Belling quoted in this press release.
A must-see building in Copenhagen, the Old Stock Exchange also houses a vast collection of works of art, several hundred of which have been secured.
A glimmer of hope for the city’s inhabitants, the top of the spire – a spiral of a few tens of centimeters – was found intact writes Brian Mikkelsen, general director of the Danish Chamber of Commerce, on X, supporting photo . The Chamber of Commerce was the occupant of the premises.
The arrow is particularly original, because it is surrounded by four dragons whose tails curl into a spiral and are topped with three balls and three crowns symbolizing the three Nordic monarchies (Denmark, Norway, Sweden).
Commissioned by King Christian IV, the Copenhagen Stock Exchange was built between 1619 and 1640, making it one of the oldest buildings in the city.
reference: www.lapresse.ca