A major firefighting operation that lasted more than 18 hours came to an end on Thursday morning after Civil Protection Department crews successfully extinguished a blaze that broke out at a commercial premises on Wednesday afternoon.

Following an update on Wednesday evening stating that the fire had been brought under control and cooling operations were underway, firefighters remained on site throughout the night to extinguish remaining hotspots and eliminate any risk of the blaze reigniting.

The operation, which began at around 2.30pm on Wednesday, was officially concluded at 9am on Thursday, the CPD said on its Facebook page.

In total, 55 firefighters were deployed, supported by 15 fire appliances. During the operation, crews used approximately 175,000 litres of water and 10,000 litres of firefighting foam to contain and extinguish the fire.

The Civil Protection Department said the operation was particularly challenging because of the wide variety of materials stored inside the premises. The fire affected both the ground-floor retail area and the basement storage facility, increasing the complexity of the response.

Despite the scale of the incident, no injuries were reported.

The department thanked all responding firefighters for their professionalism and dedication throughout the lengthy operation.

It also expressed its appreciation to officers from the Malta Police Force, the Detention Services and the medical team from Mater Dei Hospital's Emergency Department for their support and cooperation during the incident.