“The monument is saved. There will be no propagation, it will not be a disaster, let’s say so, “said the councilor. “Luckily, the rapid and magnificent intervention of the Cordoba firefighters avoided a disaster. The fire is now extinguished and this night, firefighters and local police teams will remain on the spot to avoid any risk of fire, then wrote José Maria Bellido on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Orange flames
The fire broke out around 9:00 pm “in a chapel of the Mosque-Cathedral, in the Almanzor area,” said firefighters earlier. Videos broadcast on social networks showed orange flames and smoke escaping from the high walls of the monument, especially above the Porte de San José (south side of the mosque) which gives access to the interior from the street, and to the famous orange patio.
The preferred accidental track
According to the first elements of the investigation, the fire declared itself extended from the Almanzor area to part of the coverage of the vaults, but without going further. The precise extent of the damage has not been established at this stage.
The management of the Mosque-Cathedral stored in this chapel, according to the mayor, cleaning equipment and audiovisual equipment, which may have been the source of the disaster. “It seems that it could be a battery or an electrical contact that would have produced a first spark,” he said. Several Spanish media mentioned a sweetener machine that would have caught fire.
The Cordoba Mosque-Cathedral is an architectural jewel built by emirs and omeyyad caliphs between the 8th and 10th centuries. The building welcomed more than 2 million visitors in 2024 according to its website.
