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FIRE

Majorca forest fire forces 200 to flee

Around 200 people have been forced to flee from yet another forest fire raging on the Spanish holiday island of Majorca, local authorities reported on Wednesday.

Published: 21 August 2013 11:18 CEST
Majorca forest fire forces 200 to flee
The Balearic island is seeing the worst forest fires in 15 years. File Photo: Carlos Brigo/AFP

About 450 hectares (1,100 acres) of forest have been destroyed in a fire which began at around 10pm on Tuesday.

A spokesman for the local government said about 200 people and 50 homes had been evacuated in an area on the northeast of the island which is known for its agro-tourism.

Sor far, 130 people have been mobilized to try to put out the flames.

The Balearic island is seeing the worst forest fires in 15 years.

Spain is highly prone to forest fires in summer because of soaring temperatures, strong winds and dry vegetation.

Last year wildfires destroyed about 150,000 hectares of land from January to July, after one of the driest winters on record.

This year the winter was wetter and there have been fewer summer fires so far.

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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.

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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