The old stock exchange building in downtown Copenhagen — one of the city’s oldest structures, known for its elaborate spire of intertwined dragon tails — partly collapsed in a large fire early Tuesday.

It was not immediately clear what caused the fire, but images and video from social media showed flames on the structure’s roof and dark clouds of smoke lingering over the city.

“It’s absolutely dreadful to see Borsen in flames,” Jakob Engel-Schmidt, Denmark’s culture minister, said in an interview early Tuesday, using the Danish name for the building. “The building represents over 400 years of Danish history. It’s one of the last structures in the world in Dutch Renaissance style, where trade has been conducted throughout the entire period.”

The police in Copenhagen said on social media that they had evacuated several surrounding buildings, and urged people to avoid the area.

A local emergency response agency also urged people to keep their distance from the fire and to seek medical attention if they experience breathing difficulties from the smoke.