Plan to rebuild August 15 fireworks factory in Dwejra

An application to rebuild the August 15 fireworks factory in Dwejra (Malta) that was blown to smithereens last year is pending at the planning authority and is being recommended for approval.

The factory was destroyed in August 2010 in three huge blasts that claimed the life of 43-year-old Mario Dimech of Mosta, who was the secretary of the pyrotechnics society which ran the factory.

The application is to restore and reconstruct the factory on the same footprint with the addition of two rooms and another water reservoir for irrigation and, in case of emergency, fire fighting.

The works will also include upgrading the water facilities on site, replanting the trees that were destroyed and depositing soil to support the blast walls.

Sitting on the top of a hill and accessed by a country road off the main road leading to Mġarr, the fireworks factory was isolated in the middle of the countryside.

In the early afternoon of August 13, 2010, three huge explosions destroyed the thick protective blast walls that encircled the entire complex, creating a crater. A thick enclosure of trees that hid the factory from sight was blown away and entire trees, burning branches and flaming fireworks were spat out into the surrounding fields.

The explosion, which sent thousands of euro worth of fireworks up in flames instantaneously, sparked smaller fires on the hillside that burned for about two hours. The fireworks were ready to be transported closer to the centre of Mosta for the feast of the Assumption of Our Lady.

When consulted about the plans to rebuild, the civil protection department requested that weak walls face out towards the countryside and not on to residential areas. Also, the roofs and doors of the sheds had to be made of light materials that opened outwards.

The planning authority’s environment unit noted that the new fireworks factory would not intensify the use of land and that the development would fall within the same footprint.

Members of the Explosives Committee carried out an onsite visit in July and were informed that the applicant intended to build another two structures – not included in the plans – that would provide an extra measure of safety in the manufacture of fireworks.

While agreeing with the safety element, the committee insisted that all structures be shown on the plans and once presented with the updated version, said it satisfied the conditions to build fireworks factories.

A decision on the application is expected to be taken next month.