Updated | Firemen in Miżieb still controlling woodland fire

Civil Protection Department members are still working to extinguish a fire which broke out on Saturday morning in the Miżieb woodland in Mellieħa’s outskirts.

The police re-confirmed with MaltaToday that nobody had been hurt in the blaze, which they described as having been large.

A spokesperson for the CPD said the fire was still burning as of Sunday morning, but could not supply additional details.

A photo posted on Miżieb Hunting Reserve's Facebook page last night showed an area of the woodland still ablaze, with the reserve's administation saying it appeared to have started burning again.

Media reports said that the police had been called upon by CPD personnel late last night after a number of persons were allegedly seen running away from an area which had re-ignited. The reports said that the police were investigating the possibility that the fire was started on purpose.

An area of the woodland which was on fire yesterday (Photo: Miżieb Hunting Reserve Facebook page)

Firefighters were on the scene soon after the fire started early yesterday, with members of the St John’s Rescue Corps having also been called in to assist in the operation.

A CPD unit was also dispatched to Buskett to control a smaller fire there.

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Firefighters struggling to contain fire in Miżieb woodland

In a reaction to the incident yesterday, BirdLife said they were saddened that Miżieb, which is one of the few areas with dense trees in Malta, was hit by a fire.

They highlighted that various birds also use the area as a resting place during migration, and that it is an ideal place for people to visit and enjoy the environment.

The NGO said it had written to the Environment Minister offering its support in the area’s regeneration process.

Environment Ministry requests immediate assessment of damage

In a statement on Sunday afternoon, the Environment Ministry said that it had requested from the Environment and Resources Authority and Ambjent Malta that they carry out an immediate assessment of the damage caused by the fire.

This, it said, should lead to the drawing up of a plan for the regeneration of the area in such a way as to have the least ecological impact on the environment.

Environment Minister Jose Herrera said that, while it wasn’t yet known what had caused the blaze, it is very important that the public doesn’t dispose of litter in the zone, refrains from lighting any fires, and exercises caution in all that it does so as to avoid similar incidents.