The historic Boersen Stock Exchange Tower collapses as the building burns in central Copenhagen, Denmark, April 16, 2024.
Ida Marie Odgaard | Afp | Getty Images
A fire broke out at Denmark’s historic 400-year-old Stock Exchange building on Tuesday, engulfing its iconic dragon’s tail spire which collapsed onto the roof.
The cause of the fire in one of Copenhagen’s oldest buildings was not immediately clear. No injuries were reported, Reuters reported, citing police.
Videos and images from the scene Tuesday morning showed a massive fire ravaging the stock exchange building, or Boersen, which was being renovated.
Crowds of people gathered in the Danish capital as black smoke billowed from the building and emergency services worked to bring the blaze under control. Some were seen carrying large paintings in an attempt to save items from the fire.
The incident comes almost exactly five years after a massive fire ravaged Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, the French capital, which sent shockwaves across the world on April 15, 2019.
Troels Lund Poulsen, Danish Deputy Prime Minister describe the fire as the “Notre-Dame moment” of the Scandinavian country.
“Terrible pictures from the Stock Exchange. So sad,” Poulsen said via social media platform X, according to a Google translation. “An iconic building that means a lot to all of us, I think.”
Plumes of smoke billow from the historic Boersen Stock Exchange building which is on fire in central Copenhagen, Denmark, April 16, 2024. The building, one of the oldest in the Danish capital, was in the process of being renovation when, in the morning, it caught fire, the cause of which was still unknown.
Emil Helms | Afp | Getty Images
A popular tourist attraction known for its 56-meter (184-foot) high spire, the 17th-century building no longer houses the Danish Stock Exchange. Today it serves as the headquarters of the Danish Chamber of Commerce and is located next to Christiansborg Palace, the seat of the Danish Parliament.
Danish Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt lamented what he described as “400 years of Danish cultural heritage in flames,” according to translated remarks published Tuesday via X.
He added that it was “touching” to see how building employees, along with emergency services and local residents, had worked together to try to save iconic images and artistic treasures from the burning building.
Copenhagen police said via social media that soldiers from the Danish Royal Guard were ready to help rescue valuable items.
People remove paintings and other items from the historic Boersen building which is on fire in central Copenhagen, Denmark, April 16, 2024. A severe fire broke out on the morning of April 16 in the building, currently underway renovation. The building was erected in the 1620s as a commercial building by King Christian IV and is located next to the Danish parliament.
Ida Marie Odgaard | Afp | Getty Images
— CNBC’s George Bextor contributed to this report.
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