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FIRE

Suspect denies involvement in Eskilstuna hotel fire

The 37-year-old man arrested for his suspected role a starting a fire which consumed part of an Eskilstuna hotel on Wednesday has denied any wrongdoing.

Published: 27 February 2009 08:15 CET

“Now we’ve set up an action plan for how we’ll proceed. There won’t be any detention hearing today, in any case,” said Södermanland county police spokesperson Svante Melin to the TT news agency.

Police in Eskilstuna arrested the man on Thursday afternoon believing he was involved in setting the fire which broke out at the Quality Hotel Statt.

The man is suspected of aggravated arson and is being held on probable cause for his involvement in the crime.

The arrest was uneventful and came after people recognized the man from surveillance camera pictures published in newspapers and broadcast on television.

“We think we’ve got the right person,” said Södermanland county police spokesperson Svante Melin to the TT news agency.

The 37-year-old resides in the Eskilstuna area and has had previous brushes with the law for various petty crimes.

The man’s attorney Lars-Åke Chorell remained tight lipped about his client’s position.

“He denies the crime. That’s all I can say at this time,” he told TT.

FIRE

Situation ‘unstable’ at Copenhagen’s old stock exchange after fire

Three days after a fire which ravaged Copenhagen's historic former stock exchange broke out, emergency services said Friday that the situation was "unstable" due to equipment issues and a strong breeze.

Published: 19 April 2024 17:44 CEST
Situation 'unstable' at Copenhagen's old stock exchange after fire

In the morning, during work to dismantle the scaffolding surrounding the building, a crane’s cutters came loose for as of yet unknown reasons.

It is currently wedged between the scaffolding — put up for the renovation of the historic building that was ongoing — and what remains of the walls.

“It is affecting our efforts”, Tim Ole Simonsen, leader of the operation at the rescue services, told a press conference.

Coupled with the wind picking up, the incident, which has temporarily halted work on dismantling the scaffolding, has made the situation “unstable”.

“The wind is blowing harder and harder, and there are tarps over the scaffolding that can catch the wind,” Simonsen said.

He added that this increases the risks, in particular of further collapse of the burnt-out facade which started collapsing late Thursday afternoon.

Located close to the Christiansborg parliament and seat of government, the Borsen building was commissioned by King Christian IV and built between 1619 and 1640. It was the stock exchange until the 1970s.

The fire began Tuesday morning under the copper roof of the building, which was undergoing renovations ahead of its 400th anniversary.

The cause of the blaze was unknown and Copenhagen police said Wednesday that a major investigation had been launched.

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