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FIRE

Restaurant ‘explosion’ sends one to hospital

One person was seriously injured after a restaurant in central Sweden caught fire in the early hours of Monday, with witnesses reporting hearing a loud bang and seeing a fireball in the restaurant.

The Alfredo restaurant in central Örebro caught fire in the early hours of Monday morning, with one person taken to the local hospital with serious injuries.

“The fire is extinguished and the area has been cordoned off. We are still unsure of what caused this,” said Per-Anders Olserud of the Örebro police to the Aftonbladet newspaper.

While the fire was put out before the emergency services arrived, police are refusing to speculate on whether the loud noise heard beforehand by bystanders and nearby residents was indeed an explosion.

“I cannot confirm nor deny that there was an explosion. A number of alarms went off inside the mall and we believe it may have been some kind of a bang triggered them. We have also heard the same story from the people living above the shopping mall,” Olserud told the paper.

A police investigation has been launched, and forensic technicians have been on the scene.

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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