Massive Żejtun scrapyard fire extinguished after 16-hour operation

A massive fire that engulfed a scrapyard on Tal-Barrani Road, limits of Żejtun, on Wednesday afternoon has finally been extinguished after a 16-hour operation.

The Civil Protection said on Thursday morning that more than 100 firefighters—97 firefighters and 12 senior fire officers—were involved in the operation.

“The fire has been successfully extinguished,” the CPD said in a statement on its Facebook page. Firefighters used 1.2 million litres of water to contain and extinguish the blaze.

Firefighters had to contend with scrapped vehicles that were stacked on each other as they tried to isolate and contain the blaze (Photo: CPD)

The fire broke out on Wednesday afternoon, engulfing scrapped vehicles that were stacked on each other. The blaze sent toxic plumes of smoke into the air, prompting the CPD to issue a warning to nearby residents to close windows.

The blaze was contained by late Wednesday evening but firefighting operations continued throughout the night to ensure all flames were extinguished.

The operation to put out the flames continued throughout the night and lasted 16 hours (Photo: CPD)

The scrapyard is situated on the main thoroughfare to the south, opposite a petrol station.

For hours the road was closed to traffic, creating congestion on the rest of the road network.

The CPD thanked several other agencies who assisted in the operation, including the police, Mater Dei’s emergency department, Transport Malta, CPD volunteers and other voluntary first aid and rescue organisations.