The main facade of the historic Copenhagen Stock Exchange building has collapsed, which has been on fire since Tuesday

Copenhagen - The main façade of the historic Copenhagen Stock Exchange building, which was engulfed by fire on Tuesday, collapsed this afternoon, reported a spokesperson for the Danish firefighters. Despite strengthening and attempts to stabilize the charred load-bearing walls, half of them collapsed, taking with them the scaffolding that surrounded the building undergoing reconstruction. The fire severely damaged the Renaissance building from the 17th century, which lost its tall tower and a large part of its roof. No one was injured in today's façade collapse, according to Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten.

"This is what we feared would happen," said Copenhagen firefighter chief Jakob Vedsted Andersen to reporters. Just hours before the rest of the façade of the 400-year-old building collapsed, rescue services had been trying to prevent it and were placing containers with concrete blocks around the outer walls to support the damaged walls and thus prevent the collapse of the historic masonry. However, around 5:00 PM, the façade collapsed. Chief of operations Tim Ole Simonsen warned today that there is no guarantee that the historical masonry in the burned half of the Copenhagen Stock Exchange will hold.

"About 40 to 50 percent of the façade in the part of the building that was engulfed by the fire collapsed," said chief Simonsen. Firefighters have been working to extinguish the fire in the basement for the second night in a row, and smoke was still rising today, as attention began to shift towards the future restoration of the building.

Following the façade collapse, numerous rescue vehicles, including fire trucks and ambulances, arrived at the scene. According to Danish daily Jyllands-Posten, a lot of smoke could be seen in the area, and a strong smell of burnt wood was in the air. No one was injured, the authorities reported.

Copenhagen Mayor Sophie Haestorp Andersen stated today that she had been invited to Paris to discuss experiences regarding a similar fire at the Notre-Dame Cathedral five years ago with local officials. Haestorp Andersen will travel to the French capital next month.

"On Wednesday, I spoke with Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo about the experiences of the Notre-Dame fire," Haestorp Andersen told Reuters. "She invited me and my team to Paris to see how they handled this situation," she mentioned.

The reconstruction of the exterior of the Paris cathedral should be practically completed by this July, with the overall repair expected to be finished by December. "Hidalgo gave me good advice on how to proceed quickly, and also on how Paris dealt with donations," stated Haestorp Andersen.

The fire engulfed the Copenhagen Stock Exchange building while it was undergoing renovation to restore its original appearance. The police, which is investigating the incident, stated that determining the cause of the fire could take several months. Forensic experts will help determine whether the police should investigate the fire as a criminal act.