Spectacular fire at the old Copenhagen Stock Exchange

(Copenhagen) The historic building of the former Copenhagen Stock Exchange, dating from the 17th century and currently under construction, caught fire on Tuesday and its emblematic spire collapsed in front of stunned Danes.

“It’s our Notre-Dame, it’s our national treasure,” a local resident, Elisabeth Moltke, 45, who came to witness the disaster, told AFP emotionally.

Around 7:30 a.m. local time (1:30 a.m. Eastern time), the fire broke out under the roof, emergency services told the press, who dispatched more than a hundred firefighters to the scene, while as police blocked parts of the capital to traffic.

Many trucks surround the building which now houses the Danish Chamber of Commerce, a stone’s throw from Parliament and the seat of government.

“It’s a copper roof, and it’s simply impossible to penetrate,” rescue services director Jakob Vedsted Andersen told the Ritzau agency.

“The fire therefore had plenty of time to intensify and spread throughout the building,” he explained.

A must-see building in Copenhagen, the Old Stock Exchange, which also houses a vast collection of works of art, was being renovated to celebrate its four centuries of existence.

“Terrible images (from) the Stock Exchange this morning. 400 years of Danish cultural heritage in flames,” lamented Danish Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt on the social network

Forces from the Danish army, Den Kongelige Livgarde, were also dispatched to the scene, in particular to try to save works.

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“We are facing a terrible spectacle,” responded the Danish Chamber of Commerce Dansk Erhverv. “The stock market is on fire. Everyone is asked to stay away from the area around Slotsholmen.”

An AFP journalist on site saw the 54 meter high spire of the building collapse in the flames. Many Danes were in tears at the devastation.

“I don’t have the words. It’s a 400-year-old building that survived all the other fires that ravaged Copenhagen, it’s a terrible loss,” said resident Carsten Rose Lundberg.

“We are currently working hard to save our historic art from the Stock Exchange,” said the Chamber of Commerce.

Several people were filmed and photographed saving works, including a painting of the building, according to footage from Danish media outlet D^r and photos from the Ritzau agency.

“How touching it is to see how Børsen employees, the good people of the emergency services and the people of Copenhagen are working together to save the artistic treasures and iconic images from the burning building,” added the Minister of Culture .

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.