Explosion flattens Gozo fireworks factory

No one was injured in a massive fireworks factory explosion that shook Gozo in the early hours of yesterday morning but several homes were damaged in a residential area some distance away.

It is not clear what caused the explosion at the Tal-Farrugia factory outside Gharb, but the police said they are investigating every possibility.

People on the scene of devastation at San Dimitri, one of Gozo's most scenic spots, said the equipment was switched off and nobody was working inside the factory, which was locked.

One of the factory's owners, Raymond Farrugia, said he never thought something like this would happen, especially in the middle of the night when nobody was there.

"If we were working in it, we would have accepted it as an accident. But, like this, in the middle of the night... it is hard to believe." However, he was grateful no one was inside as fatalites would have been inevitable.

Eight out of 10 rooms making up the factory were blown apart, with the explosion reportedly being heard even from the south of Malta. The area was almost completely flattened, with big stones seen metres away from where the factory once stood.

Seeing all the destruction, would Mr Farrugia continue working at a fireworks factory?

"It is difficult to say. When you see all this, you think you definitely never want to do it again. But I don't know," he said.

Asked whether he was afraid to work in such a dangerous environment, Mr Farrugia replied that everything was risky, even driving a car.

Mr Farrugia, together with other men who work at the factory, were scouring the area, trying to pick up anything that could pose a danger to passers-by - the area is promoted by the Malta Tourism Authority as a country walk.

The explosion took place at 1 a.m. The police said members of the Civil Protection Department went on site to control the fires. A magisterial inquiry is being carried out by magistrate Paul Coppini, while explosives experts yesterday scoured the area to find any clues as to what caused the explosion.

Fireworks for the Zebbug and Ghajnsielem festas, which will be celebrated in the coming days, were being stored in the factory.

The blast was so big that residences in St Dimitri Street - approximately a 30-minute walk away - were affected, with a holiday residence having three window panes shattered.

Orietta Lambrocchi, the holiday residence owner, was still shaken yesterday afternoon after being woken up in the middle of the night.

"We were asleep, and from the window opposite our bed we saw a big light. Thankfully, the window was open. Otherwise, the blast would have shattered it, with the glass flying toward us," she recounted.

The next thing she heard were cries from neighbours and the guests at the residences.

"We need more protection. I am not saying that the factory should not be rebuilt, but it should be done in a way that residents are in no way affected," she said.

Gharb mayor David Apap shares this opinion, more so since an outline development permit to build another fireworks factory in the area - just 150 metres away from the 300-year-old San Dimitri chapel - was granted recently. The mayor has come out strongly against the building of the new factory, and yesterday's explosion only served to reinforce his stand.

"Unfortunately, what happened last night has shown that the council is right in saying that fireworks factories could be a danger to both residents and historical places," he said. Although it does not seem that the chapel has been damaged, Mr Apap said he was told by an architect that damage could emerge at a later stage.

"There is an immediate need to stop the preparations to build the new factory and find an alternate place, which is not in this area. We already have two fireworks factories here, we cannot have another one," he stressed.

This was the second such explosion on the islands in less than two months. An explosion at another factory in Zebbug, Malta, last month claimed the lives of three men.