Students rescued children and residents from burning Copenhagen apartment block

More than 100 people were evacuated from a residential building in Copenhagen’s northwest district after a fire broke out on Wednesday morning, Danish broadcaster DR reports.

Sixten Vingtoft Andersen, a student returning from class, was among the first to respond after spotting thick smoke billowing from the seven-staircase building on Frederikssundsvej. Without hesitation, he parked his car and rushed to assist.

“I saw educators trying to get children out of a kindergarten through the windows, so I ran over to help,” Andersen told DR. Working alongside four or five other men, he forced open doors to the burning section of the building and guided confused residents to safety. “We didn’t coordinate—we just acted,” he said.

The group reached the top-floor apartment where the fire had started, but retreated as flames and intense heat blocked further entry. “I could see smoke pouring through the cracks. There was no doubt there was extreme heat behind that door,” Andersen recalled. Emergency services arrived shortly after, taking over evacuation efforts.

Copenhagen’s emergency response chief, Tim Ole Simonsen, described the blaze as severe due to the risk of rapid spread through the roof structure. Firefighters spent hours containing the flames, with drone thermal imaging later used to monitor hotspots. While no serious injuries were reported, one person was hospitalised for smoke inhalation.

Two of the building’s stairwells remain uninhabitable due to water damage from firefighting efforts. Residents from those sections will require temporary rehousing.

“Many in that building no longer have a home to return to,” Andersen reflected. “It puts things in perspective.”