Copenhagen’s historic stock exchange building was a devastated shell Wednesday as firefighters worked for a second day to extinguish the blaze that consumed the 17th century landmark.
Completely extinguishing the fire was taking longer than expected due to lingering pockets of flames found in the rubble, Frank Trier Mikkelsen, operations chief of the Greater Copenhagen Fire Department, told Reuters.
Residents of Copenhagen looked on in horror Tuesday as the Danish capital’s historic stock exchange building was engulfed in flames and its 180-foot spire, in the shape of four entwined dragon tails, collapsed. Everyone inside the building was able to leave.
The 400-year-old building, known as the Borsen, served as the stock exchange until the 1970s. Today it houses the headquarters of the Danish Chamber of Commerce. Video from the scene showed huge plumes of black smoke billowing from the building.
“An important part of our architectural heritage was and still is in flames,” King Frederik X wrote in a post on Instagram. “For generations, the characteristic dragon spire has helped to define Copenhagen as the ‘city of towers.’”
The king’s mother, Queen Margrethe II, who abdicated in January, was celebrating her 84th birthday on the day of the fire. Danish broadcaster TV2 said celebrations were toned down in light of the blaze.
People rushed into the building to help save its extensive collection of historic artwork. The National Museum also sent 25 employees to help evacuate the art, it tweeted.
“We have been able to rescue a lot,” Brian Mikkelsen, chief of the Danish Chamber of Commerce, told reporters. “It is a national disaster.” He and his staff were seen flipping through binders of photos showcasing the building’s artworks to determine what had been saved, according to the Associated Press.
Mikkelsen, who helped save some pieces, said tools had to be used to remove them.
“Terrible pictures from the Stock Exchange this morning,” Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt tweeted. “400 years of Danish cultural heritage in flames.”
The fire was reported at 7:30 a.m. Copenhagen fire department head Jakob Vedsted Andersen told reporters that the blaze, which began in the building’s copper roof, spread to several floors.
Scaffolding around the building, in place for renovations, made it more difficult for emergency services to reach the flames, while the copper roof preserved the heat.
The cause of the fire was not clear.
The incident was Denmark’s “Notre Dame moment,” Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen wrote on X, recalling images of the burning Paris cathedral when it was severely damaged in a fire almost exactly five years ago.
Commissioned by Christian IV, King of Denmark and Norway, construction of the Dutch Renaissance-style Copenhagen building began in 1619, with the first shops on the lower floor in use in 1624.
Unsatisfied with what he saw as construction neared completion, the king said the structure looked more like a warehouse than a royal building and instructed the architect to redo the roof.
He also called for the addition of the spired tower and its four dragons, which were later said to protect the exchange from enemies and fire.
“It has succeeded well. Neighboring buildings and Christiansborg Palace have been in flames,” the Chamber of Commerce wrote on its website, referring to the home of the Danish Parliament, which has burned down on several occasions. “But the dragons have looked after Borsen.”
The Borsen was undergoing renovations ahead of its 400th anniversary, including fixes to mistakes made in an 1883 restoration.
