Cordoba cathedral fire: Huge blaze breaks out at major tourist attraction in Spain

A fire broke out at the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdobaon Friday night, with fire crews rushing in to extinguish it. The UNESCO-listed World Heritage site forms part of southern Spain's unique combination of Christian-Moorish architecture and dates back to the 8th century.

Known locally as the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba,The stunning historic building was originally constructed when Muslim rulers controlled much of the Iberian Peninsula containing modern-day Spain and Portugal. Work on the Mosque as a Great Mosque began in 785AD. After the Christian conquering of Spain, known as the Reconquista, the magnificent place of worship was converted to become a cathedral in 1236. Despite changing religions, many of the features left by the previous Muslim stonemasons remain.

Today the monument attracts millions of tourists every year.

According to Spanish media, a blaze took hold in the Mezquita, in the Andalusian city of Cordoba, around 9.15pm local time tonight (Friday) after being sparked when the malfunctioning battery of an automatic cleaning machine caught fire.

It's understood three fire crews have attended the scene and a perimeter has been established around the site.

According to ABC News in Spain, the Mezquita is protected by a fire dampening system in the roof and within the decking around the building. It's reported there are 24 water outlets inside the structure allowing fire crews to access a flow from almost anywhere on the site.

The last fire at the Mezquita was recorded on July 6, 2007, when around 25 boxes of books and documents dating back to the 19th century were consumed by flames.