Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

FIRE

Fire guts conference centre near Stockholm

Police have launched an arson investigation following a violent Wednesday night fire that left a popular hotel and conference centre in Sigtuna, north of Stockholm, in ruins.

Published: 10 January 2013 09:58 CET
Fire guts conference centre near Stockholm

“We have witness reports saying that people left the scene as emergency crews and police arrived,” police spokesman Patrik Hamrén told the TT news agency.

RELATED GALLERY: Click here for images of the blaze

The fire at the Sigtunahöjden conference and hotel, located about 30 minutes north of Stockholm near the historic lakeside village of Sigtuna, was discovered shortly after 7pm on Wednesday.

The blaze completely destroyed the 5,000 square-metre conference centre and restaurant, but the hotel was left more or less intact.

The fire reportedly started in the kitchen, and took most of the night to bring under control.

No guests were staying in the hotel at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported.

TT/The Local/dl

Follow The Local on Twitter

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

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.

SHOW COMMENTS