Spain: Fire Breaks Out at Historic Mosque-Cathedral

Firefighters have extinguished a massive blaze that was burning in the historic mosque-turned-cathedral in the southern Spanish city of Cordoba.

The "rapid and magnificent intervention" of firefighters "averted a catastrophe," Cordoba Mayor Jose Mara Bellido posted on X.

The fire is out, he said, adding that firefighters and police would remain on site overnight.

Widely shared videos had shown flames and smoke billowing from inside the monument, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984 and is a major tourist attraction.

The blaze broke out around 9 p.m. local time (19:00 GMT) in one of the chapels in the Almanzor naves, according to Spain's El Mundo newspaper.

It may have been caused by a short circuit in an electric sweeper, El Mundo and local media reported without elaborating on why.

Three fire teams managed to control the fire and extinguished it within a short period.

After putting the fire out, firefighters continued to cool the monument's walls and roofs to prevent the fire from reigniting, El Mundo said.

Now a cathedral, the building was originally a mosque between the 8th and 10th centuries that is considered a jewel of Islamic architecture.

After Christians reconquered Spain in the 13th century under King Ferdinand III of Castile, the building was converted into a cathedral and architectural alterations were made over following centuries.

The blaze evoked memories of the 2019 fire that ravaged Notre Dame in Paris, which formally reopenedin late 2024.