Two fires have been reported within a space of a few minutes in St Julian’s, the police told The Malta Independent.
Fire engines and medical personnel, as well as police officers, rushed to Lapsi Street and St Augustine Street.
The latter fire is at the Eden Cinema complex, where a number of firefighters were pictured on site. The blaze is believed to have developed in the foyer of the complex, which was not screening shows at the time.
In a statement on Thursday afternoon, Eden Cinemas said that the cause of the fire was a fridge in one of their bars shorting. It was dealt with accordingly by by members of the Civil Protection Department, and no further damage was suffered inside the complex.
Cinemas 1 to 7 are still operational, and the remaining ones are expected to be opened later in the day.
A plume of black smoke was seen from across the bay in Sliema at around 8am.
Two days ago a blaze in a kitchen at the bowling alley, situated close to the cinema complex, was quickly put out.
The other incident took place in a garage in Lapsi Street.