Key events
Jon Henley
A huge fire has broken out at Copenhagenâs 17th-century former stock exchange, one of the Danish capitalâs most famous landmarks, engulfing the historic buildingâs roof and toppling its distinctive spire.
People were seen rushing in and out of the building carrying works of art to safety and Danish media reported an annexe of the parliament had been evacuated. Police asked people to avoid driving in the inner part of the city.
Read the story here.
Anette, a reader in Denmark, writes in: âI woke up to the sad news of our beautiful renaissance stock exchange on fire. My favourite building in Copenhagen⦠Itâs very emotional to many of us Danes. So terribly catastrophic.â
Another reader, Stine, writes: âAn incredibly sad day! All over Copenhagen smoke can be seen.â
Simon, a reader, has sent in a photo of people carrying a painting in Copenhagen, after the Old Stock Exchange caught fire.
Lara, a Brit whoâs lived in Copenhagen for over 20 years, said she came out of the metro and saw the fire. âAbsolutely heartbreaking. 400 years of history disappearing before your eyes,â she said.
She sent a photo:
If youâre in Copenhagen, send your thoughts and comments to lili.bayer@theguardian.com.
âOur own Notre Dame moment,â said Denmarkâs deputy prime minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, describing todayâs fire.
Frygtelige billeder fra Børsen. Så trist. En ikonisk bygning, der betyder meget for os alle, tror jeg. Vores eget Notre Dame-øjeblik. pic.twitter.com/X0jWjfUFVc
— Troels Lund Poulsen (@troelslundp) April 16, 2024
400 years of Danish cultural heritage in flames, wrote the countryâs culture minister, Jakob Engel-Schmidt, adding that it is touching to see employees, emergency services, and passers-by working together to save art treasures and iconic images form the burning building.
Hvor er det rørende at opleve, hvordan de ansatte på Børsen, gode folk fra beredskabet og forbipasserende københavnere samarbejder om at redde kunstskatte og ikoniske billeder ud af den brændende bygning.
— Jakob Engel-Schmidt (@engelschmidt) April 16, 2024
Berlingske has published footage of the fire
Here are the latest images from Copenhagen.
Fire breaks out at Copenhagen’s Old Stock Exchange
A fire has broken out at Copenhagenâs iconic Old Stock Exchange, engulfing its spire, which has collapsed.
âWe are met with a terrible sight. The Bourse is on fire. Everyone is asked to stay away,â the Danish Chamber of Commerce, which uses the building as its headquarters, wrote on social media. At this stage there are no reports of any injuries.
Vi er mødt ind til et forfærdeligt syn. Børsen brænder. Alle bedes holde sig væk fra området omkring Slotsholmen. Brandmyndighederne er på stedet. Vi vender tilbage, når der er flere oplysninger.
— Dansk Erhverv (@DanskErhverv) April 16, 2024
