A shopkeeper who died in a fire at his place of work was due to get married in two weeks, shocked friends have said.

Maged Saad Malak Eshak had excitedly told customers he was planning on travelling to Egypt as soon as the airport opened and would return with his wife.

The 23-year-old died in the blaze at the popular Middel East Markets in Triq Ħal Qormi, Marsa, on the border with Ħamrun, which broke out at around 5am on Thursday morning. The cause is still not known.

And in another tragic coincidence, his own brother had also died in a fire, he had confided to neighbours. 

His death has shocked the community who mourned the loss of the “kind and quiet” shop keeper.

A fire broke out at Middel East Markets in Marsa at around 5am on Thursday. Photo: Mark Zammit Cordina

“He was a good boy, kind and hardworking and always ready with a joke,” Carmen, a resident who said she frequented the shop daily told Times of Malta.

“We knew him well and he knew us. He was the kind of person who if he knew you were hungry, would see to it that you were fed.”

He had recently been in high spirits, as the reopening of the airport meant that he could return to Egypt just in time for his wedding date.

“The last thing he told me was ‘You won’t see me for a while, but the next time you do I will be a married man’,” Carmen said. 

A  shopkeeper at a nearby market said Maged was an incredibly hard worker who took time and pride in serving the community. 

“He was very dedicated to the shop, he was importing goods from abroad and trying new things. He managed to turn a hole in the wall into a supermarket where you could find almost anything,” she said.

A neighbour who also frequented the shop said that Maged had once confided in her that his brother had also died in a fire in Egypt.

“It’s such an unspeakable tragedy. I cannot imagine what his poor mother and father must be going through.” 

The civil protection department was called to control the fire and eyewitnesses said it raged for close to an hour and at least three fire engines were required to put out the blaze.

There were unconfirmed reports that Maged had been sleeping in the shop at the time.

Families who live adjacent and above the shop had to be evacuated from their homes. A police investigation is ongoing and an inquiry will be held.