A massive fire engulfed the old stock exchange building in Copenhagen Tuesday triggering people to save the artifacts and paintings as the structure was collapsing from the blaze.
Videos released from the scene showed the fire swirling the distinctive 56-meter tall tower causing it to fall on the ground — one of the oldest buildings in Denmark.
According to Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt, 400 years of Danish cultural heritage had gone up in flames.
The local media reported that the nearby square was evacuated.
The engulfed building dates back to 1625 and is near the Danish Parliament the Folketing which is set up in the royal palace of Christiansborg Castle.
The old Copenhagen Stock Exchange building was undergoing renovation
The old stock exchange was being renovated and had been under plastic covering for protection.
A local craftsman Henrik Grage was quoted in the BBC that it was a tragic day.
“This is our Notre Dame,” he said while comparing it with the fire that burned the roof and spire of the cathedral in Paris on April 5, 2019.
The authorities in the area are ascertaining the cause of the fire however, rescue officials noted that the operation became difficult due to scaffolding.
The fire was so potent that it badly damaged the building.
Emergency services chief Jakob Vedsted Andersen said firefighters faced an almost impossible task accessing the area under the old copper roof.
Local museum inspector Benjamin Asmussen told Denmark’s TV2 that the fire was difficult to watch, as the stock exchange was full of paintings regarding Danes who had been important for Danish history since the 17th Century.
The Slotsholmen building commissioned to become the Copenhagen Stock Exchange by Denmark’s King Christian IV.