Updated 5.35pm

People have been evacuated from a building adjacent to Portomaso Tower after a fire broke out at offices on Friday afternoon.

The fire has been traced to offices on the eighth floor and has not spread to other floors.

A police spokesperson said no one was injured and the fire was brought under control by the Civil Protection Department by 4.45pm.

[attach id=1129260 type="video"]Footage: Times of Malta readers, Jonathan Borg. Video edited by Karl Andrew Micallef[/attach]

Adjusted approach

Witnesses said the roads in the area had been closed to traffic. They added that it took firefighters quite some time to put out the fire and said it appeared that the fire truck ladder did not reach the windows of the offices on fire.

But a high-ranking CPD official told Times of Malta that was not the case. The ladder had to be repositioned to be closer to the window, they said, as the fire was not in the direct line of sight of firefighters.     

"We had to adjust our approach to ensure we could effectively put out the flames while ensuring the safety of personnel," the official explained. 

Times of Malta recently reported that firefighters are training to deal with blazes in high-rise buildings.

The fire truck ladder did not reach the windows of the offices on fire (left), and firefighters had to call another truck on site (right).

The Civil Protection Department said on Facebook that firefighters from different stations were tackling the fire.

It urged people to avoid the area in the meantime.