Danish police close investigation into Old Stock Exchange fire
Officers said there has been nothing to indicate the blaze in the historic building in Copenhagen was the result of a criminal act.
Danish police said on Tuesday that they are closing the investigation into the devastating fire which destroyed more than half of Copenhagen’s Old Stock Exchange, saying there has been nothing to indicate the blaze was the result of a criminal act.
Despite extensive forensic investigations, review of surveillance and the questioning of a large number of witnesses, “it is not possible to determine the cause of the fire in the historic stock exchange building”, said Brian Belling, the Copenhagen police officer in charge of the inquiry.
“Our assessment is that we have explored all relevant investigative possibilities in the case,” he said, adding that no-one has been charged in the case.
Early in the morning of Tuesday April 16, flames tore through the 400-year-old building, a major tourist attraction. The blaze toppled its green copper roof and famous dragon-tail spire. Two days later, a large section of the building’s outer wall collapsed inwards.
As the fire raged, many, including ordinary people, ventured in to save artworks and around 90% of the cultural objects were rescued from the building.
The fire is believed to have started on the roof, which had been wrapped in scaffolding because of ongoing renovation work to be completed for its anniversary in 2024.
On September 24, King Frederik X of Denmark laid the “foundation stone” within part of a red brick wall that survived the blaze, marking the start of a years-long reconstruction plan.
The owner of the central exchange, Denmark’s Chamber of Commerce, has said it will rebuild the landmark, which is considered a leading example of Dutch Renaissance style. Construction started in 1615 and it first opened in 1624.
The fire was reminiscent of the April 2019 blaze at the 800-year-old Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
