Epoch Times21. April 2024
Clean-up work continues after the devastating fire in the old stock exchange in Copenhagen. The fire department expects to be able to end its operation soon.
The building is expected to be handed over to the Danish Chamber of Commerce and its advisors within the next 24 hours, the fire department confirmed to the Danish news agency Ritzau on Sunday.
A fire broke out on Tuesday in the building that was built 400 years ago. About half of the stock exchange – one of the city’s oldest buildings – burned down.
The cause of the fire remains unclear and no one was injured. At the weekend, around a dozen firefighters were still on site to extinguish smaller embers.
A fire raged in one of Copenhagen’s oldest buildings, the old stock exchange. Despite stabilization, the outer wall has now collapsed. Photo: Thomas Traasdahl/Ritzau Scanpix Photo/AP/dpa
There was good news about the art treasures that had been stored in the historic building. According to the head of the Danish Chamber of Commerce, almost everyone survived the fire.
According to the Ritzau news agency, Brian Mikkelsen said they had saved 99 percent of the items on Friday when Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen visited the scene of the accident in the Danish capital. According to Danish radio, a gable figure was also saved.
The old stock exchange, which is now home to the Danish Chamber of Commerce, houses, among other things, a large art collection. The building has not been used as a stock exchange in the true sense for a long time. When the fire broke out, the building was being scaffolded for renovation work. Since parts of the facade collapsed, emergency services have been trying with great caution to save what remains. (dpa/red)