There was shock as the 17th Century building's spire collapsed in the fire.

Denmark’s historic old stock exchange building in the centre of Copenhagen has been engulfed by fire.

The 17th Century Børsen is one of the city’s oldest buildings and onlookers gasped as its iconic spire collapsed in the flames.

Everyone inside the building was able to leave and people rushed to rescue some of its historic paintings.

Culture minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt said 400 years of Danish cultural heritage had gone up in flames.

The building, dating back to 1625, is a stone’s throw from Denmark’s parliament, the Folketing, housed in the old royal palace of Christiansborg castle. Danish media said the nearby square was being evacuated.

    • FilterItOut@thelemmy.clubEnglish
      6·
      7 months ago

      Remove the historic paintings during renovation, at least. Surely it would be possible to rig up some sort of sprinkler system as well. Firefighter access to the roof may be difficult once the fire is blazing, but maybe some mitigation systems could be installed before the blowtorches and welders come out.

    • Billiam@lemmy.worldEnglish
      6·
      7 months ago

      Time-travel to the 17th century and stop construction on non-fire-retardant buildings, obviously.

      • TropicalDingdong@lemmy.worldEnglish
        31·
        7 months ago

        Not just better fire safety, but an appropriate approach to fire safety that accounts for the fact that these buildings are beyond antiques with considerations very different than modern buildings.