Updated July 7 

A fire that broke out in a three-storey storeroom in Qawra on Saturday morning continued to rage throughout the day and into the night, with firefighters still on site 14 hours later. 

Police had initially said the fire had been extinguished, only to say at around 6.30pm that firefighters were still at the scene. 

A Civil Protection Department spokesman told Times of Malta that the fire was likely to keep them busy for some time yet. 

“Everything is under control, but it will take time to extinguish completely,” the spokesman said at around 7pm.

“There is a large amount of highly combustible material inside the building and we are working meticulously to ensure every last spark has been extinguished”.

Nobody was injured in the incident, he added.  

Large plumes of smoke were still rising out of the building at 8.20pm. 

An eyewitness described firefighters having to enter the building on Garcia de Toledo street from its roof after answering an emergency call placed at around 9.30am.

Smoke emerged from both sides of the shuttered building and Civil Protection Department firefighting units quickly began working to extinguish the flames.

Residents of an apartment block next door were evacuated as a precautionary measure. As the day progressed, additional fire trucks joined the effort and police squad cars were spotted at the scene.

Sources said the fire is believed to have been sparked by a malfunctioning fuse box, but a CPD spokesman said it was too early to say how it had started.

Magistrate Caroline Frendo Dimech is leading an inquiry into the incident.

Were you affected by this fire or do you have information you would like to share with us? Get in touch at mynews@timesofmalta.com

Multiple CPD units were deployed. Photos: Desiree Dimech