This time, it was the rented office building, near HQ, that burst into flames
Pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk has reported a third fire, in over a month, with its rented office building near its headquarters burst into flames. According to a Bloomberg report, the fire broke out Tuesday afternoon, June 18, on the roof of a building in Bagsvaerd, although not inside its headquarters complex.
The firefighters were quick to respond and managed to put the fire under control. The local fire service declared the fire out after a couple of hours. According to Novo, the fire did not spread to the nearby buildings.
Less than four weeks earlier, the pharmaceutical company lost an office building at its Bagsvaerd headquarters complex, near Copenhagen, to a massive fire. Before the said incident, a fire broke out on the roof of a building under construction, within the drugmaker’s factory complex in Kalundborg, about an hour-and-a-half drive, west of the country’s capital.
The series of fires came at the heel of Novo Nordisk’s rush to expand the production of its anti-obesity and anti-diabetic drugs, Wegovy and Ozempic – both are the company’s current bestsellers.
As of this writing, there are no indications that the company will take legal action in connection with the most recent fire incident or even with the previous fires, neither there is a sign that all the fires were connected.
Meanwhile, based on the reports, while the local authorities are conducting their investigation, the police have found out that two non-Danish workers working on the site do not have the necessary work permits. Novo has confirmed that the unidentified workers were “external employees.” These workers, according to reports, were involved in “hot work” that includes welding, in which they lack the necessary permits.
On the other hand, immigration authorities are still about to decide on the legal consequences that the said workers must face. Nevertheless, the drug company is considering “various legal” sanctions for the suppliers if they remain uncompliant with the country’s existing labour laws.
