Firefighters battle blaze at Santa Venera food warehouse

Updated 8.45pm

A fire broke out at a foodstuffs warehouse in Santa Venera on Monday afternoon, with firefighters warning that the battle to completely douse the flames could go on all night. 

The fire was first noticed at around 4.30pm, shortly after workers at the Triq il-Ħarrub site, which is used to store foodstuffs and other raw materials, ended their shift. 

Multiple Civil Protection Department firefighting trucks were soon on the scene and were still working as of 8.15pm to restore a measure of order. More than 40 firefighters were involved in the operation. 

Nobody was inside the building when the fire broke out and no injuries were reported.  

Eyewitnesses reported hearing a small explosion inside the building just before 6pm, around 90 minutes after the fire began. Thick plumes of grey smoke could be seen rising from the building.

Fire still burning but not spreading

Smoke was still rising from the building as of 8pm, but CPD director Peter Paul Coleiro told Times of Malta that firefighters had managed to control the fire.

“This means it is not spreading further out, or attacking the perimeter of the structure, it is still within the centre of the structure,” he...