Parts of Gozo's Ramla Bay were shrouded in thick smoke on Tuesday afternoon as a result of a grass fire.

The blaze started at about 2pm and spread quickly, fanned by a strong breeze. Firefighters were still fighting it at 3.30pm.

The police said no one appeared to have been injured. The cause of the blaze was not known.

The site is not far from the scene of another large blaze on the Xagħra countryside also overlooking the sea some days ago. That blaze was blamed on fireworks.

It comes as the country continues to break in a record-breaking June heatwave, with temperatures feeling hotter than 40 degrees Celsius. 

Temperatures are forecast to remain high for the remainder of the week and weekend, before cooling slightly by Monday.