Updated 6.05pm, adds police statement

The police shall be taking court action against three people who were camping illegally at the site where an extensive fire destroyed several trees and bushes at l-Aħrax tal-Mellieħa early on Sunday.

The fire, reported at around 4am, was fully extinguished by around 9am, the police said.

It was initially thought to have been put out but it rekindled as the sun rose, leading the police to divert traffic from the area.

The Civil Protection Department said several firefighting units had been deployed to fight the fire.

In a statement later, the police said that when they went on site they found three tents and a fire-pit, which had possibly started the fire, that was still on.

Following a search in the area, the police found a mobile phone and contacted its owner, a 33-year-old man from Floriana.

It transpired that the man was camping on the site where the fire started with a 29-year-old woman from Paola and a 29-year-old man from Safi. They did not have the necessary camping permit.

Although investigations established that the fire started accidentally, the people left the site when the fire spread as a result of the winds.

It was only controlled with difficulty after a number of hours, the police said.

FKNK statement

In a statement , the hunters’ federation said the federation would be evaluating the damage, with the help of the police, in the coming days.

It said initial indications were that a large number of trees and bushes, as well as a substantial part of the natural habitat of the reserve, was destroyed in the fire.

The reserve, it pointed out, had been cared for by its members in a voluntary manner since 1986 and the public had free access to the site year-round.

Campers, it said, had a purposely allocated area at the reserve where they could camp after obtaining a permit from the Mellieħa council. Such permit, however, did not give them the right to light fires or to camp at night.