A fire broke out on Tuesday afternoon in Copenhagen which left the city’s 17th century stock exchange building up in flames, taking its iconic spear in the process. Emergency personnel and passerby citizens ushered into the building to rescue any old artifacts and paintings amidst the fire, according to the Associated Press.

Jakob Engel-Schmidt, the Danish Culture Minister, recalled the actions of it’s citizens as “touching,” even recalling a citizen jumping from his bicycle to go and help remove valuables from the burning fire.

The blaze erupted at the roof of the complex, slowly spreading onto other parts, whilst it engulfed the building’s iconic spear in the process. The chief of the Danish Chamber of Commerce, Brian Mikkelsen, dubbed the flame as a “national disaster,” in a very moving interview.

He later states on that they were able to rescue various artworks from the fire, which were later quickly transported to other government buildings within the area, such as the Danish Parliament and Danish National Archives.

According to local police in Copenhagen, they have still not been able to conduct the cause of the fire, and are hoping to enter the site in the coming days, once the flames subside and the complex is far more stable than it’s current place.

The roof, made entirely of copper, was dishearteningly easily flammable during the fire, causing it to spread quickly to surrounding surfaces.

Prior to the fire, the building alongside with its spire, had been going through renovations and was covered from head to toe in scaffolding, to preserve its initial and old state.

Engel-Schmidt took to social media following the fire to state that he would, “do everything I can so that the dragon spire will once again tower over Copenhagen, a symbol of Denmark’s strong history as a trading nation.”