Fire Engulfs Copenhagen's Old Stock Exchange

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Facts

• A large-scale fire engulfed one of the most famous and oldest buildings in Copenhagen, the historic 17th-century Børsen, on Tuesday, causing its iconic spire to collapse.¹
• According to the Greater Copenhagen Fire Department, the blaze that destroyed nearly half of the building began in the morning on the roof, where renovation works were underway. Police have yet to determine the cause.²
• The fire was only declared under control in the afternoon (local time), as the area under the old copper roof was almost inaccessible. The scaffolding also made it harder for emergency services to extinguish the flames.³
• Staff and passer-by citizens worked together with emergency services to rescue Renaissance paintings and other art treasures from the inferno. There have been no reports of injuries so far.⁴
• A popular tourist and cultural attraction in the city center, the now burned building has housed the Danish Chamber of Commerce since the stock exchange moved premises in the 1970s.⁵
• This tragedy is reminiscent of the disaster at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, which was also destroyed in the flames five years ago. While the facades of the Børsen building are still standing, there's no guarantee that they can be saved.⁶

Sources: ¹The Copenhagen Post, ²Associated Press, ³BBC News, ⁴CNN, ⁵Wall Street Journal and ⁶Europeanconservative.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Daily Mail. Even though firefighters and ordinary citizens managed to salvage lots of historic objects from the fire, this incident has become a horrific cultural disaster as the building itself was an important part of Danish architectural heritage as well as a centuries-old landmark for Copenhagen. This is a sad day for the nation.
• Narrative B, as provided by Financial Times. Similar to incidents at Notre Dame in Paris and Windsor Castle, among other irreplaceable monuments that previously raged in fire, what happened in Copenhagen's Old Stock Exchange must be understood not as the end — but rather as an opportunity for transformation and renewal after a period of mourning. Though sad, it's a relief that no lives have been lost.