Emergency services reported on Thursday that one of the external walls of the Old Stock Exchange building in Copenhagen, destroyed by fire, had collapsed. The moment of its collapse was recorded during a live report by Danish journalist Jens Ehlers.
At 5 p.m. on Thursday, the journalist of the second program of the Danish public television, Jens Ehlers, began his live report from in front of the burned building of the historic Stock Exchange in Copenhagen. At one point, there was a bang, and in the depths of the frame, behind the journalist, a collapsing wall of the building was visible.
– It was a shock that the collapse happened so suddenly. When we heard the sound, I thought it was materials being unloaded there, but it was the walls that had collapsed, Ehlers said.
The facade of the Old Stock Exchange building collapsed, CopenhagenPAP/EPA/Thomas Traasdahl
“Unfortunately, the facade collapsed”
One of the outer walls of the historic Copenhagen Stock Exchange collapsed, emergency services reported on Thursday. Jakob Vedsted Andersen from the Copenhagen fire brigade, who commanded the operation, said that “it cannot be ruled out that more walls may collapse.”
“Unfortunately, the facade collapsed,” Copenhagen's rescue services said in a post on X. The fire brigade clarified that the wall on the canal side collapsed, without damaging other buildings. – We really hoped that we would be able to save the facade – said Jakob Vedsted Andersen from the Copenhagen Fire Department, who was in charge of the operation, during the briefing.
Previously, cranes were used to place containers filled with concrete blocks against the wall to stabilize the structure. However, the anchors were not installed in time. The services reported that no one was injured. Andersen added that “it cannot be ruled out that more walls may collapse.” The walls are weakened due to extremely high temperatures and damage to the building structure.
Copenhagen PAP/EPA/Ida Marie Odgaard
Symbol of Copenhagen
The Copenhagen Stock Exchange is located in the very center of the city, near the parliament building. It is one of the oldest and most characteristic buildings in Copenhagen. It was built in 1625. Its spire, which was consumed by fire, was shaped like the intertwined tails of four dragons.
Copenhagen Stock Exchange before the fire Shutterstock
The construction of the 150-meter-long red brick and sandstone Stock Exchange, designed by the architect brothers Lorenz and Hans van Steenwinckel, began in 1618, and its roof was completed in 1624, so the modernization of this part was to be ready for the 400th anniversary. Until 1659, the sheathing was made of lead. It was then melted down to make cannonballs needed for Denmark's wars with Sweden. Then the roof was covered with copper.
ENEX, PAP, nyheder.tv2.dk
Main photo source: ENEX