Achi news desk-
A major fire broke out at the 400-year-old landmark in Copenhagen on Tuesday, bringing down its roof and the iconic dragon’s tail spire.
On Thursday, a large section of the outer wall of the building collapsed inward. The paintings and the most valuable items inside were saved from the flames, and no one was hurt.
“Another building collapse is definitely a possibility,” said Tim Ole Simonsen, a spokesman for the Greater Copenhagen Fire Department, adding that structural engineers were looking at the best way to remove the rickety remains of scaffolding.
“It’s very hard work.”
He later said work was halted and “our efforts took a new turn” after the powerful shears mounted on the end of a crane fell into the rubble of the building.
There were still small pockets of fire to put out and “tons” of debris to remove, he said.
Brian Mikkelsen, who heads the Danish Chamber of Commerce, which owns the 1615 building and had its headquarters there, said 45 percent of the building had been preserved, and he emphasized promises made earlier this week to completely rebuild the building.
“It will be rebuilt as it was,” Mikkelsen said as Danish Prime Minister Metta Frederiksen made a surprise visit to the site on Friday afternoon to thank firefighters, saying their quick response on Tuesday was “impressive” and to give “a huge, huge honour”.
Frederiksen also supported the idea of rebuilding the old stock exchange, but said it was too early to say whether the government would share in any funding.
“We need to get a better overview, like for example the insurance money,” Frederiksen said.
Tuesday’s fire is believed to have started in the building’s roof, which was covered in scaffolding while the building was being renovated.
The cause remains unclear, and police have yet to enter the burned part of the building to investigate.
The plans to remove the scaffolding were an attempt to save the intact part of the Copenhagen landmark.
Firefighters said they could not say how long it would take and nearby streets were still closed to traffic.
A decision has not yet been made on who will finance reconstruction, a project that will cost millions, if not billions of kroner (dollars) and take years.
Known for its green copper roof and distinctive in the shape of four intertwined dragon tails, the stock exchange sits on the waterfront near the Danish Parliament.
It is considered a leading example of the architectural style of the Dutch Renaissance in Denmark.
The Chamber of Commerce moved into the building after the Copenhagen Stock Exchange left in 1974.
