Fire destroys Copenhagen's old stock exchange dating from 1600

COPENHAGEN, Denmark A fire ravaged one of Copenhagen's oldest buildings on Tuesday, causing the iconic spire of the 17th-century Old Stock Exchange to collapse as passersby rushed to help emergency services save paintings priceless and other valuable items.

The fire broke out on the building's copper roof during renovation work, and police said it was too early to say the cause. The building, with its distinctive 56-meter (184-foot) spire shaped like four intertwined dragon tails, is a major tourist attraction next to Denmark's parliament, Christiansborg Palace, in the heart of the capital.

A piece of Danish history is on fire, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen wrote on Instagram, saying it hurt to see the loss of such irreplaceable cultural heritage.

Ambulances were on scene but no casualties were reported.

Danish Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt said it was touching to see how many people lent a hand to save artistic treasures and iconic images from the burning building. A man jumped off his bike on his way to work to help for an initial period before firefighters evacuated people from the building.

Brian Mikkelsen, director of the Danish Chamber of Commerce, which is headquartered at the Old Stock Exchange and owns the building, was seen with his team going through a binder of photos of paintings to be preserved. The works were transported to the nearby Parliament and National Archives building. Rescuers used tools such as crowbars to remove valuable items to save them from the fire, Mikkelsen said.

We were able to save a lot of things, Mikkelsen told reporters, visibly moved. It's a national disaster.

The fire broke out on the roof on Tuesday morning and spread to a large part of the building, collapsing parts of the roof and destroying about half of the building, fire spokesman Jakob Vedsted Andersen said. There was no risk to other buildings, but it took firefighters 24 hours to secure the scene, he said.

Tim Ole Simonsen, another spokesman for the Greater Copenhagen Fire Brigade, said the fire broke out in the part of the building where work was underway, but that's all I can say about it.

Ren Hansen, from the boilermaker company renovating the roof, told TV2 there were 10 people on the roof when the fire alarm went off. After five minutes, smoke started rising from the floor to the ceiling.

Tommy Laursen of Copenhagen police said it was too early to say what caused the fire and that police could enter the building within days.

Firefighters who were believed to have pumped water from the nearby canal were seen spraying water through the door of the Old Stock Exchange's golden hall, used for gala dinners, conferences and other events and where many paintings were hung.

Huge plumes of smoke rose above downtown Copenhagen and could be seen from southern Sweden, separated by a narrow waterway.

Up to 90 members of a military unit were deployed from a nearby base to cordon off the area and secure valuables, the Danish armed forces said.

King Frederik wrote on Instagram that an important part of our architectural heritage was being destroyed. This morning we woke up to a sad sight, he wrote.

The stock exchange was built in 1615 and is considered one of the leading examples of the Dutch Renaissance style in Denmark. The Chamber of Commerce moved into the building after the departure of the Copenhagen Stock Exchange in 1974.

The roof, masonry, sandstone and spire were being renovated, and Mikkelsen said there were plans for the royal family, government officials and other dignitaries to review the work later this year. That won't happen now, he said.

It is unclear what will become of this iconic building.

Engel-Schmidt, the Minister of Culture, wrote on as a trading nation.

The nearby Christiansborg Palace has burned down several times, and most recently, in 1990, a fire broke out in an annex of the Danish parliament, known as Proviantgaarden. However, the Ancienne Bourse was unscathed at the time.

Police said on social media platform X that a main road in Copenhagen was closed and people should expect the area to be cordoned off for some time. Several bus lines were diverted and Danish media reported huge traffic jams.

Queen Margrethe, who turned 84 on Tuesday, toned down the celebrations due to the fire, TV2 reported. A band from the Royal Life Guard were due to play for the former monarch outside Fredensborg Castle, where she stays during the spring and summer, but this was cancelled.