Copenhagen fire rages, Stock Exchange spire collapses

A fire raged through one of Copenhagen’s oldest buildings on Tuesday, causing the collapse of the iconic spire from the 17th-century Old Stock Exchange as passersby rushed to help emergency services save priceless paintings and other valuables.

A fire raged through one of Copenhagen’s oldest buildings on Tuesday, causing the collapse of the iconic spire from the 17th-century Old Stock Exchange as passersby rushed to help emergency services save priceless paintings and other valuables.

Danish Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt said it was “touching” to see how many people lent their hand “to save art treasures and iconic images from the burning building.” One man jumped off his bicycle on his way to work to help in the effort.

Brian Mikkelsen, chief of the Danish Chamber of Commerce, which is headquartered in the Old Stock Exchange, and his staff were seen scrolling through a binder with photos of paintings to be saved. They were carried to the nearby parliament and Danish National Archives, around the corner from the burning building.

“It is a national disaster,” Mikkelsen told reporters.

Pedestrians look on as flames engulf the 17th-century old Stock Exchange.Emil Helms / Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty ImaThe fire began Tuesday morning in the copper roof of the Old Stock Exchange, or Boersen, spread to much of the building and the roof, parts of which also collapsed, and destroyed the building’s interior, said firefighters spokesman Jakob Vedsted Andersen.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/copenhagen-fire-stock-exchange-spire-collapses-rcna147962

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