Sitting on the edge of a pavement with charred bar stools at his feet, Saddles Bar owner Victor Aquilina greets regulars, waving as they walk past.

On any other day the popular St Julian’s bar owner would be serving these customers cold drinks. Yesterday, however, he could not even enter the pub after a blaze broke out there at around 6am, destroying most of the establishment.

Read: Iconic Saddles Bar goes up in flames

“I am usually here at around 7am but the alarm went off at around 6am and I received a call. I didn’t think it was that urgent at that point,” Mr Aquilina explained, adding jokingly that he even took the time to make his bed.

Riding down to Spinola Bay on his motorcycle, Mr Aquilina soon realised the extent of the problem as an overwhelming smell of smoke filled his lungs.

This is not the end of Saddles, it’s just a short break but we will be back again in no time

As the bar is a stone’s throw away from the police station, the Civil Protection Department had already been informed and soon five fire engines were on site battling the fire, which took some three hours to extinguish.

“I just stood there watching them work and at times trying to guide them from out here. But my mind was blank and I couldn’t think of anything at that point,” the owner said.

Holding back tears, Mr Aquilina admitted that while he had been handling the situation well, keeping calm and offering any help to the firefighters, he broke down as soon as he saw his daughter standing outside the bar as it went up in flames.

“I have been training my daughter to take over and seeing her cry broke my heart. I love it here but at the end of the day I do all this to be able to leave everything to her,” Mr Aquilina said, holding back tears.

The blaze in Saddles Bar in St Julian’s broke out around 6am yesterday.

While the extent of the damage still needs to be determined, Mr Aquilina insisted that the pub would be up and running again once repairs are carried out.

On what could have caused the fire, Mr Aquilina said it was too early to say as the police were still carrying out their investigations. He added that it seemed that the fire started on the first floor and spread outwards.

As one of the oldest bars in St Julian’s, Saddles is popular with regulars from different generations. Mr Aquilina, who has run the establishment for the past 33 years said that while it might seem like an impossible task at the moment, as most of the bar has been destroyed, he hopes to be back serving drinks in no time.

“Saddles is not just a bar – it’s part of the St Julian’s identity. My customers are like an extended family and I have people who used to come here when they were still very young and still visit.”

“This is not the end of Saddles, it’s just a short break but we will be back again in no time,” Mr Aquilina promised.

claire.caruana@timesofmalta.com