THIS IS OUR NOTRE DAME
Copenhagen blaze destroys spire – just like Paris disaster
DENMARK’S historic Old Stock Exchange erupted in flames yesterday during renovations, leaving horrified officials scrambling to preserve artefacts of its rich history.
A ‘large bang’ was heard at around 8.30am before the 400-year-old iconic twisting Dragespir, or Dragon Spire, of the Borsen building collapsed.
Dramatic footage captured the moment the 183ft monument became a pole of orange flames before toppling down into the Copenhagen street – with bystanders watching on in tears.
Local craftsman Henrik Grage, referring to the blaze at Paris’ historic cathedral exactly five years ago, said: ‘This is our Notre Dame.’
Danish deputy prime minister Troels Lund Poulsen posted: ‘So sad. An iconic building that means a lot to all of us.’
Emergency services, mobilised ‘on a massive scale’, told how the fire in the Borsen building, where scaffolding was seen tumbling into the inferno, was ‘too dangerous to tackle from inside the building’ and tried to limit the damage by closing off what they could inside.
Surrounding streets were cordoned off and the military brought in to help manage public safety as crowds gathered in disbelief to look.
But there were no reports of injuries, though ambulances were at the scene.
The Borsen, once the financial heart of Denmark, opened in 1625 and contains many precious relics of the country’s proud merchant history.
Firefighters spokesman Jakob Vedsted Andersen revealed the blaze started in the copper roof of the Old Stock Exchange and spread to much of the building.
Brian Mikkelsen, director of Denmark’s Chamber of Commerce, was seen helping firefighters to salvage artefacts.
He said: ‘We have been able to rescue a lot but it is a national disaster.’ The blaze comes five years after Notre Dame burst into flames in Paris during renovation work in April 2019. Yesterday was the 84th birthday of Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II, who abdicated in January. She ‘toned down’ celebrations due to the fire.