Updated 8.45pm

A fire broke out at a foodstuffs warehouse in Santa Venera on Monday afternoon, with firefighters warning that the battle to completely douse the flames could go on all night. 

The fire was first noticed at around 4.30pm, shortly after workers at the Triq il-Ħarrub site, which is used to store foodstuffs and other raw materials, ended their shift. 

Multiple Civil Protection Department firefighting trucks were soon on the scene and were still working as of 8.15pm to restore a measure of order. More than 40 firefighters were involved in the operation. 

Nobody was inside the building when the fire broke out and no injuries were reported.  

Eyewitnesses reported hearing a small explosion inside the building just before 6pm, around 90 minutes after the fire began. Thick plumes of grey smoke could be seen rising from the building.

Fire still burning but not spreading

Smoke was still rising from the building as of 8pm, but CPD director Peter Paul Coleiro told Times of Malta that firefighters had managed to control the fire.

“This means it is not spreading further out, or attacking the perimeter of the structure, it is still within the centre of the structure,” he explained. 

The warehouse is understood to contain items used for food preparation, including flammable items such as oil and cardboard, complicating firefighters' job. 

Times of Malta also witnessed firefighters take cylinders of LPG gas out of the burning building.  

The warehouse is owned by Strand Palace Agencies and is adjacent to another facility owned by the company that manufactures local snack Twistees. 

Initial reports suggested that the fire broke out inside the Twistees factory, but Steve Calleja, managing director at Strand Palace Agencies, said that was not the case.

Calleja confirmed that no one was inside the building when the fire broke out. He declined to provide further details about the affected site. 

Police tape cordons off the scene of the fire. Scroll right to see more photos. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Triq il-Ħarrub is closed for traffic. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Thick smoke rising from the warehouse. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Firefighters work in shifts

As the firefighting operation stretched into the night, the CPD dispatched reinforcements to replace exhausted colleagues in need of a break. 

“After once, twice, three times inside, they are tired, so now we are getting fresh people on-site to replenish the tired ones,” CPD director Coleiro said. 

With heat from the fire rising for several hours, firefighters turned their focus to the building's roof, seeking to cool it down and reduce the risk of its collapsing. 

Fire trucks still at the scene at 8.45pm. Photo: Giulia Magri

As of 8pm, firefighters had used close to 200,000 litres of water, with water bowsers continuously coming and going.

“This could go on all night,” he said.

It was too early to draw conclusions about what sparked the fire, he said. 

Police officials closed Triq il-Ħarrub for traffic as the emergency operation got under way.  

Residents who live in the area have been advised to keep their windows closed. 

Police on site. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

A police spokesperson was unable to provide any further details on Monday evening, noting that a magisterial inquiry into the incident will delve into the cause of the blaze.