During a dramatic effort to combat a massive fire at Børsen in Copenhagen, the emergency services had to quickly change tactics when the original plan failed. Incident commander Tim Ole Simonsen from the Capital Emergency explained at a press conference that they initially tried to directly extinguish the fire, but had to change tactics to prevent further damage to the historical building. The fire, which broke out early on Tuesday, led to the flames rapidly spreading through one half of Børsen, resulting in only the outer walls and remnants of the old trading hall remaining. The other half of the building is also affected but still standing, albeit with some damage from smoke and water.
“When it became clear that our original plan was not sufficient, we switched to Plan B, which focused on limiting the spread of the fire,” said Simonsen. He emphasized that if they had continued trying to put out the fire under the spire, they would not have had enough resources to protect the rest of the building. Thanks to the quick response and change of tactics by the emergency services, they managed to preserve half of Børsen, even though the other half has suffered extensive damage.
Cleaning and restoration work is expected to be a significant and extensive task. The efforts and swift decision-making by the Capital Emergency have been crucial in minimizing the damage to one of Copenhagen’s most iconic buildings.