Danish police close investigation into Old Stock Exchange fire
Danish police are closing the investigation into the devastating fire that destroyed more than half of Copenhagen’s Old Stock Exchange
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Danish police said Tuesday that they were closing the investigation into the devastating fire that destroyed more than half of Copenhagen’s Old Stock Exchange, saying nothing points at the blaze being 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 investigation.
“Our assessment is that we have explored all relevant investigative possibilities in the case,” Belling told a press conference, adding that no one has been charged in the case.
Belling said the video material included hours of footage from inside the Stock Exchange that had not been damaged by the fire. He added that no inflammable liquid has been found.
In the early morning of April 16, a violent fire tore through the 400-year-old building, a major tourist attraction. The blaze toppled its green copper roof and iconic 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 rescue artworks and around 90% of the cultural objects were rescued from the building.
One of the hypotheses was that the fire started in connection with the renovation, Belling said.
He said that the fire is believed to have started under the roof, which had been wrapped in scaffolding because of ongoing renovation work to be completed for its anniversary in 2024.
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