Fire gutted the reception area at Auberge de Castille yesterday morning, causing around €25,000 worth of damage.

The blaze, which broke out at 11am, was caused by a short circuit. A soldier on guard duty close to the reception area immediately raised the alarm. No one was injured as the building, which houses the Office of the Prime Minister, was quickly evacuated.

The fire destroyed the reception area, which is situated at the side entrance to Castille in St Paul Street, Valletta.

Sources said the room was reduced to a shell as the flames destroyed all the soft furnishings and furniture – including the reception desk, chairs and tables while also causing the soffit ceiling to melt. “There was nothing left in the room – it’s just a black shell,” a source said.

A government statement confirmed that preliminary investigations revealed the fire was caused by an “accidental” short circuit. A magisterial inquiry into the incident will be held “because Castille is government property,” the statement said.

Around 30 people were in the building yesterday for a number of meetings, a government spokesman said. These included people from the Prime Minister’s secretariat and Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi, whose office is in Castille.

Within minutes of the blaze, firefighters were on the scene. They extinguished the fire in a matter of minutes as police sealed off the area.

The damage was also inspected by Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera who is leading an inquiry.

It is still not clear what logistical arrangements will be made to create a makeshift reception area – the first stop for all employees and most visitors– before tomorrow. However, a government spokesman said that “it will be business as usual”.