[WATCH] Historic St Publius arch in Floriana burnt to the ground

The historic arch in Floriana was destroyed by fire

The historic arch in Floriana associated with the feast of St Publius was burnt to the ground in a fire in the early hours of Saturday.

The arch, which was constructed in 1899, had its wooden structure completely consumed by the fire, which burnt for around an hour and a half.

The remains of the arch after the fire destroyed it

Firefighters were reportedly informed of the fire at 1.30am, and finally managed to extinguish it at 3am.

The arch was constructed in 1899

The police told MaltaToday that four cars which were parked nearby were also burnt in the fire. Luckily, nobody was injured in the incident.

Members of the Civil Protection Department are currently on site.

Archbishop Charles Scicluna visited the site this morning.

Archbishop Charles Scicluna at the site of the fire on Saturday morning (Photo: Parocca San Publju Floriana Facebook page)

In a Facebook post, the St Publius Parish said it had lost the triumphant arch of its feast.

“It was a work of art, and the heritage of our forefathers. Thank you to everyone who showed solidarity. We are united as one family, looking ahead with faith in God and St Publius,” the parish said.

(Photo: Parocca San Publju Floriana Facebook page)

Duty magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit has initiated an inquiry on the case.