Fire At Copenhagen Landmark 'under Control'

Danish rescue services said Tuesday that the fire that engulfed Copenhagen's 17th-century former stock exchange, ravaging the building and toppling its iconic spire, was "under control"

Copenhagen, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Apr, 2024) Danish rescue services said Tuesday that the fire that engulfed Copenhagen's 17th-century former stock exchange, ravaging the building and toppling its iconic spire, was "under control."

Amid flames and black smoke, the 54-metre (180-foot) spire crashed into the street below the Borsen building on Tuesday morning, which had been undergoing renovation.

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

"The fire is under control to the extent that we at this moment are dealing with what we call final extinguishing," director of emergency services Jakob Vedsted Andersen told a press conference, adding the work would continue for "many hours".

He said that half of the building was more or less burnt.

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

"This is our Notre-Dame! This is a national treasure," local resident, 45-year-old Elisabeth Moltke, told AFP.

"It pains us all to see Borsen in the middle of Copenhagen in flames. It is our shared cultural heritage", Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told public broadcaster DR.

Frederiksen lamented the "hundreds of years of history going up in flames."

Denmark's King Frederik X said in a statement that the country had woken up to "a sad sight."

"An important part of our architectural heritage was and still is in flames," the regent said.

The fire started at around 7:30 am (0530 GMT) under the red-brick building's copper roof, emergency services told reporters.

As flames and huge plumes of black smoke billowed from the rooftop, fire trucks surrounded the building, covered in scaffolding and canvas, which today houses the Danish Chamber of Commerce.