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ANIMAL

Police suspect arson as a thousand pigs burn

Some 1,200 pigs, the majority piglets, have died in a fire at a farm in Sjuntorp near Trollhättan in western Sweden in a suspected arson attack.

Published: 10 July 2013 08:24 CEST

Two barns with sows and piglets burned down in Sjuntorp in Trollhättan municipality on Tuesday evening. A few hundred pigs were saved from the flames but according to reports around 1,200 died in the fire.

“We don’t know the exact number yet, but it is probably around 1,200,” said Jonas Gustafsson at the emergency services in Trollhättan to the local TTELA daily.

Emergency services from Trollhättan were joined by personnel from Sjuntorp and Lilla Edet in a bid to battle the fire, which was reported by a neighbour at around 10pm.

The fire-fighters managed to keep the fire from spreading to a residential building and two further barns. At around 2.30am the fire was declared to be under control.

Several hundred pigs were saved from the inferno with initial reports indicating that 240 sows and 640 piglets had survived the night.

Police have opened an investigation into arson or aggravated arson. The area was on Tuesday morning placed under guard and police technicians will conduct an inspection of the site during the day.

TT/The Local/pvs

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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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