“After hours of hard work in the blazing sun, we have brought the fire under control,” Rasmus Storgaard, who is leading the emergency services’ efforts to extinguish the fire, told the broadcaster TV2.
He said that his 70-strong team were now waiting for cranes that could help with the clean-up and extinguishing work, but that most of the necessary equipment and personnel were now in place, with some 20 fire engines involved.
“With the capabilities that are now in the fight, you will probably see more or less normal operations out here again tomorrow,” he said .
Novo Nordisk told Ritzau that the fire had started outside a building and then spread to nearby office buildings. According to Novo Nordisk, the smoke is not toxic, and there are no injuries.
In a written statement to DR Nyheder, Novo Nordisk said: “A fire broke out today outside a building at Novo Nordisk in Bagsværd. The fire has spread to an office building. The fire brigade is present and starting the extinguishing work, which is expected to last for the next few hours. The smoke is not toxic and there are no injuries.”
On the social media site X, Copenhagen Vestegns Police warned people to go inside and close doors and windows if they are in a smoky area.
— Vestegnens Politi (@VestegnsPoliti) May 22, 2024
Martin Kjærsgaard, the officer on duty for the fire services, told TV2 that the administrative building affected would either collapse or have to be demolished. He predicted at about 2pm that the fire would not be extinguished before 10pm at the earliest.
“The entire roof has collapsed, but the floor below with offices and laboratories is not damaged by fire,” Storgaard told DR.
Duty manager at Copenhagen Vestegns Police, Thomas Christensen said the smoke from the fire had caused some minor inconvenience to the traffic on the nearby Hillerød motorway. P4 Trafik has since updated on X that the smoke is no longer a problem for motorists.
On May 16th, another fire broke out on a roof at a new building being constructed by Novo Nordisk at its site in Kalundborg, creating a pillar of dark smoke that could be seen frm 30km away.
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