Despite the outstanding damage that a part of the Cathedral Mosque of Córdoba has suffered after the fire declared last night, the catastrophe could have been greater. This is the main conclusion that is reached after listening to the Head of the Prevention Service, Fire Extinction and Rescue (SPEIS) of Córdoba, Daniel Muñoz, which this Saturday has offered a statement to the media.
The real damage, in terms of affected area, “is very small, covering approximately 25 to 50 square meters of a total area of 13,000 square meters,” according to the dean-president of the Cathedral Cabildo de Córdoba, Joaquín Alberto Nieva Mezquita. On damage to sculptural, pictorial or altabolic works, “they are very localized.” In fact, in the chapel that has collapsed, the upper part of the altarpiece of the announcement has been damaged. In addition, there was “the fall of an image that has emerged from the altarpiece”, as could be the case of the “picture of the Virgin with the archangel of the attic of the altarpiece of the incarnation, of the O”.
Another chapel that has been affected is that it was annexed to the one served by warehouse, the focus of the fire. In that chapel, the roof “is practically destroyed” and burned, although it has not completely collapsed. ” The rest has suffered collateral damage. In addition, “the water of extinction also produced some damages,” although Nieva has not been able to specify more due to the analysis work that is being carried out right now.
On the other hand, the Fire Chief has highlighted the rapid and effective response of emergency equipment, which managed to contain the flames and minimize damage to this historical monument. In fact, the rapid performance of firefighters prevented the fire from spreading more quickly and virulence throughout the monument.
The emergency call was received at the Speis Communications Central was received around 21:15, informing of a fire in one of the chapels of the Cathedral Mosque that served as a warehouse for furniture and machinery. The action protocol was immediately activated, mobilizing three complete endowments of the Central and Granadal parks. In the first moments, 16 troops intervened, although up to 35 came to act, since many suspended their vacations and their rest days. The Speis had to use six extinction media: a height vehicle and five vehicles with water capacity.
The greatest difficulty was presented on the roof, where it was necessary to remove material with specific tools to access the beams area. The intervention was carried out from two fronts: one inside and one on the outside. The familiarity of staff with the installation and use of the dry column system in the roofs facilitated extinction work.
As Muñoz explained, on the arrival of firefighters, “the fire had already broken by the roof” so the main objective was “sectorizing the fire” to avoid its propagation to the adjoining chapels. In fact, the wood structure presents “a carbon layer in the beams that, although it protects the interior, reduces the section and resistance, causing collapses.” So much so that, as this medium has advanced, the roof of the Annunciation chapel ended up collapsed first thing in this morning. In addition to the wooden structure, the Fire Chief has assured that “the weight of the water” used for extinction contributed to the collapse. On this, Deán President has pointed out that the collapsed wooden vaults “had recently been restored.”
On the reasons for the fire, although at first an electrical failure was pointed out in a barredora, the president of the cathedral council of Córdoba – José Joaquín Nieva Mosque – has pointed out this Saturday that the origin of the flames “is being investigated”. From the first hour of this morning, the Scientific Police is working on the field to find out the causes of the incident.
The restoration process, Nieva has advanced, “will be complex” and will imply the assessment of damages by architects and technicians, as well as the collaboration of the Cabildo with the Territorial Delegation of Culture, the Management of Urban Planning and the City Council. However, he has assured that the “Cabildo is prepared to face the costs of this contingency.”
He also explained that various institutions, including the Mayor's Office, the Government Subdelegation, the Ministry of Culture, ICOMOS (UNESCO Advisor) and other entities related to heritage, have shown their support and satisfaction with the rapid extinction of the fire. UNESCO and the Ministry of Culture will be aware of the process.
Opening of the Mosque-Catedral
Despite the fire, during the early hours of this Saturday, the Cabildo Cathedralicio announced the reopening of the mosque-cathedral. Asked about this, the Dean has assured that the decision was based on the reports of the technicians, who assured that there was no danger to people. Since the affected area is very localized and limited, the monument can be visited and the cult, celebrate.
