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FIRE

Swedish primary school torched by ‘vandals’

Police suspect that a fire that ravaged a high school in Falkenberg, southern Sweden, on Monday night was purposely lit.

Tånga primary school in Falkenberg was partly destroyed by a fire on Monday night, with three firefighting patrols working throughout the night to quell the blaze.

Police suspect that the fire was an act of vandalism that was started in a garbage room at the school the day before.

“This is just terrible, it’s extremely hard to take,” said the school’s principal Lars Leijström to the TT news agency.

“We have been incredibly spared from vandalism, but this time there is no doubt that the fire was deliberately lit.”

While no one was injured in the fire, emergency staff worked until 7am before the flames were extinguished, but not before they caused significant damage to the school.

Buildings that were spared by the flames were, however, damaged by smoke and water from the firefighers.

The school’s 500 students are still expected to resume classes on Tuesday morning in the unaffected areas of the school.

“There is no risk to other buildings and we have people posted outside of the school to meet and take care of the students as they arrive. But it’s hard to get in through all the fire engines,” Leijström said.

A press conference is scheduled to be held later on Tuesday at the fire station in Falkenberg.

TT/The Local/og

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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.

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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