Damage caused by fire in Wied Speranza ‘repairable’, no indication of foul play

Natural valley was ravaged by fire on Sunday

The fire which broke out on Sunday across Wied Speranza was probably not caused intentionally and the damage, which looks extensive, is repairable, said Minister for the environment Jose Herrera yesterday.

He was addressing journalists at a press conference held under the blazing sun yesterday afternoon. The cause of the fire is still not known, he said, but preliminary indications show that, most probably, the fire was not started intentionally.

‘It’s not as bad as it looks’

The minister said that farmers working in the vicinity who wanted to burn some hay could have accidentally allowed the fire to spread. It could also have easily been the case, the minister said, that the fire had started on its own due to the extreme heat currently afflicting the Maltese islands.

“An initial analysis of the damage indicates that there was no major damage caused. Although, visually, the damage looks extensive, our experts believe that the damage is repairable,” the minister said, standing on an area left covered in ash after the blaze.

Experts have advised the ministry to “let nature take its course,” as most of the trees that were damaged can heal on their own, with time.

“This should serve for us all to be more aware of the dangers of open fires,” he said, flanked by the acting CEO of the Environmental and Resources Authority, Louise Spiteri.

Experts said that the damage sustained by indigenous trees, such as the carob tree, was minimal.

The fire on Sunday went widely unreported. Valletta 18 chairman Jason Micallef was quick to express his anger at the lack of response from the authorities when the fire broke out. Posting on Facebook, Micallef wrote: “I am sad and angry looking at how Wied L-Isperanza has been destroyed by fire; angry because no one from the relevant authorities appeared on site to stop the fire. Criminal – there’s no other way to describe it.”