An elderly Birkirkara resident was woken last night by flames engulfing the front of his house, the result of an alleged arson attack.

Hearing strange noises at around 2am, Edward Calleja, 76, told the Times of Malta he first suspected intruders.

But heading downstairs to investigate, he first saw a small statue he had set outside for Holy Week ablaze.

The flames quickly spread along the façade and into the house, destroying a number of other statues and personal items by the window, while the ceiling tiles on his ground floor shattered and fell under the extreme heat.

Mr Calleja, who lives with a 13-year-old boy in his care, said he managed the control the fire with a garden hose until the fire brigade arrived on scene a few minutes later, followed by the police, who are now investigating.

'I can't understand', Mr Calleja said. Photo: Mark Zammit Cordina

Sifting through the damage this morning, Mr Calleja found some solace in the fact that the statue of Our Lady of Sorrows, which he had made himself and set outside last week, had somehow survived the fire relatively intact, although the column on which it stood, also his own work, was mostly destroyed.

He is certain that the fire was not accidental. Two metal lanterns hanging by the statue had both gone missing without a trace, he said, suggesting they had been stolen in the night.

But nor does he know who could have wished him harm. As several neighbours dropped by this morning to offer their sympathies and help in repairing the damage, he said: “In all the time I’ve lived here I’ve never been in any fights or did anyone any wrong. I can’t understand.”