Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

FIRE

Five arrests made after arson at refugee home

After dozens of people were injured in a fire at a refugee home near Paderborn, western Germany, five residents of the home have been arrested.

Published: 6 January 2017 14:32 CET
Five arrests made after arson at refugee home
Fire crews at the site of the fire. Photo: DPA

A spokesperson for the police in North Rhine-Westphalia said on Friday that the men were suspected of having deliberately set light to a mattress.

Around 30 residents of the home were taken to hospital after the blaze on Thursday. One of them was seriously injured.

A further 24 people were treated at the site of the fire.

Fire crews were able to put out the fire on Thursday evening.

The fire had broken out at the former military barracks in Hövelhof-Staumühle on Thursday afternoon.

Around 500 people had been housed in the building. But it was almost completely destroyed by the flames.

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