Three days after a fire was reported at il-Maqluba, the flames have not been extinguished completely, the Environment and Resources Authority said in a statement.

ERA said it has worked incessantly with the Civil Protection Department (CPD) on the fires that engulfed Il-Maqluba, which is both a Tree Protection Area and a Special Area of Conservation of International Importance.

ERA enforcement officers inspected the site a number of times, while CPD officers continued to fight the flames, even in the most inaccessible areas of this karstic depression that continued smouldering. Initial indications show that some protected trees were scorched, but sources familiar with the area informed that clumps of giant reed, which are an invasive species, probably bore the brunt of the flames. However, a more accurate assessment of damages can only be made once the fires are extinguished completely

ERA enforcement officers have also been in contact both with the CPD and with the Police to conclusively determine the exact cause of the flames, and to ascertain the location that the fireworks had been let off from.