A Pembroke street has been named after a firefighter who died after helping put out a fire in the locality.  

In September, 48-year-old Joseph Zammit was rushed to hospital after fainting while helping extinguish a grass fire. He died soon after.

The street - alongside a major construction project in front of St George's Bay - currently has no name.

"We wanted to honour Joseph Zammit. He lost his life while extinguishing a fire in our locality - so we proposed that the street is named after him," Pembroke mayor Dean Hili told Times of Malta. 

Hili said the local council had suggested an alternative name for the steep street in August. But when Zammit died, the council changed its proposal.

"Since the street borders St Julian's, we needed the approval of the St Julian's local council before moving forward. They agreed immediately," Hili said.

"We also spoke to the Civil Protection Department to seek the consent of Zammit's family," he said.  

The Street Naming Committee - an entity within the Electoral Commission remit - acknowledged the local council's proposals in October.  

Triq Joseph Zammit became official on Friday when the name was published on the Government Gazette.  

The Pembroke local council has now ordered a plaque with the street's new name.   

Zammit's was the first death of a firefighter while on duty since the Civil Protection Department was set up in 1996.    

He was involved in major rescues including in Sliema in November 2021. Zammit had assisted a man and a 14-year-old boy who were swept to sea at Qui-Si-Sana.