Alarm bells sounded early on Tuesday morning as a fire tore through Copenhagen’s historic former stock exchange building, Borsen, causing extensive damage to the 400-year-old structure and leading to the collapse of its ornate spire adorned with distinctive dragons.
Brian Mikkelsen, head of the Danish Chamber of Commerce, which owns Borsen, has pledged to rebuild the structure despite the devastation.
Drawing comparisons to the 2019 fire at France’s Notre-Dame cathedral, Danish officials aim to glean insights from the cathedral’s rapid restoration process.
Mikkelsen, cycling to his office, encountered the blaze and immediately joined firefighters in their efforts. Alongside colleagues and emergency responders, he bravely ventured into the burning building multiple times to salvage centuries-old artworks stored inside.
With teamwork and determination, they managed to retrieve most of the historic items, except for a two-ton bust of King Christian IV of Denmark. Fortunately, the spire’s ornamental metal tip survived and was recovered.
The loss of the iconic dragon spire has deeply saddened the Danish community, with many expressing their grief and sharing memories of the landmark on social media.
Residents such as Cheri Christiansen and Mohamed Ibrahim Zaid lamented the destruction of their heritage, while Viktor Stabel Ovro described the devastation witnessed from his apartment.
Outside parliament, bystanders witnessed the intense firefighting efforts as crews battled the blaze, a rare occurrence according to Copenhagen’s emergency services chief of operations, Tim Ole Simonsen.
Initial images from inside the building revealed charred and waterlogged rooms strewn with debris, painting a grim picture of the aftermath of the fire.
