A person who tried to set fire to the house of a mayor turned into a ball of fire himself after his clothes, probably soaked in flammable liquid, burst into flames.

Dramatic CCTV footage from the house of Lija mayor Ian Castaldi Paris shows the silhouette of what appears to be a man walking up to the door and then getting engulfed by flames before he runs out of the camera's line of vision still ablaze.

He is also believed to have set alight the mayor's garage door and two neighbouring cars by throwing a burning parcel.

Dr Castaldi Paris heard an explosion just as he was about to go to sleep at about 11.30 p.m. He went on the balcony and saw his neighbours' cars burst into flame. CCTV footage showed the man, still on fire, running away.

Despite the likely injuries, however, the arsonist has still not been apprehended. He has not turned up for medication anywhere, the police said.

Although the attack targeted Dr Castaldi Paris' house, his neighbours' cars sustained the most damage. His garage door was only slightly blackened while the cars, parked back to back, were almost totally destroyed at the rear. Their tyres melted, leaving only the metal threads and rims. Fire-fighters were called in almost immediately but the damage was still extensive.

Even the façade of a neighbouring house was blackened and the plastic case of a burglar alarm set on the wall melted.

Dr Castaldi Paris was evidently angry. "This attack has touched my family, which is unacceptable. My three-year-old daughter was shocked and asked me where is the bad man who did it," he said.

He could not pinpoint the reason behind the attack but said he had received an anonymous, threatening letter around two months ago, which referred to his campaign against certain developments in Lija.

Another warning came when someone knocked heavily on his door at about 10.30 p.m. on Wednesday, the mayor said. He did not think much of it either but has now also given the police the recorded CCTV footage of that occasion.

Messages of support for Dr Castaldi Paris and his family and condemnation of the act poured in from local councils, political parties and environment groups.

(Clarification: With reference to the above report Dr Castaldi Paris has clarified that he did not show the threatening letter he had received to PN general secretary Paul Borg Olivier. He said that the decision to ignore the threatening letter was purely a family decision.)