A fire which broke out at a Novo Nordisk site in Bagsværd, where the company is headquartered, on Wednesday morning is “extensive and spreading”, say emergency services.
“It is not good. The fire is massive and is about to spread to other buildings,” on-duty operations manager Martin Kjærsgaard from the capital’s emergency department told Ritzau.
He adds that one of Novo Nordisk’s administration buildings, which has been ravaged by the flames and likely has water damage in connection with extinguishing work, “cannot be saved” and will probably have to be demolished when the fire is out.
“They are fighting hard out there, and massive efforts have been made to extinguish the fire,” he said.
It is uncertain where or how the fire started.
Novo Nordisk told TV2 that they became aware of the fire at the same time as the press, and are still gathering information about the situation.
Pictures show thick black smoke billowing over nearby Hillerød motorway.
Copenhagen Vestegns Police cautioned in a post on X that it may affect traffic:
“We are present at a major fire on Smørmosevej in Bagsværd. The fire is emitting a lot of smoke, which is why visibility is reduced on the Hillerød motorway,” wrote the police.
They advise locals to “go indoors and close doors and windows if you are in a smoky area”.
It’s the second time this week that a Novo Nordisk facility has caught fire.
Last Thursday there was a fire in the roof structure of a Kalundborg facility, likely caused by construction work.
There have been no casualties, but the fire is “extensive and spreading”, and Novo’s administrative building “cannot be saved”
