The fire which broke out and destroyed parts of Wied Speranza was probably not started intentionally, and while the damage looks extensive, it is repairable.

Minister for the Environment Jose' Herrera called the press in the afternoon in the blazing heat to visit the site which was ravaged by fire in the last 48 hours. The cause of the fire is still not known. However, preliminary indications show that, most probably, the fire was not intentionally started.

The Minister said that farmers who work in the vicinity and wanted to burn some hay, might have accidentally let the fire spread. It could have easily been the case, the Minister said, that the fire started on its own, due to the extreme heat which is striking the Maltese islands.

"An initial analysis of the damage indicates that there was no major damage caused. Although, visually, the damage looks extensive, our experts believe that the damage is repairable," the Minister said while he stood on the ash left after the blaze.

Experts had suggested to the Ministry to 'let nature take its course' as most of the trees that were damaged can heal with time on their own.

"This should serve for us all to be more aware of the dangers which come from open fires," he said while accompanied by the acting CEO of the Environmental and Resources Authority, Louise Spiteri.

Experts said that the damage sustained to indigenous trees, such as the carob tree, was minimal. 

Photos by Baskal Mallia