Carnival enthusiasts lost close to €200,000 worth of uninsured equipment in a fire that engulfed a Luqa warehouse on Friday, The Sunday Times of Malta has learnt.
Jason Busuttil, newly appointed carnival director, said three of the island’s top carnival companies had their entire livelihood stored in the warehouse from lifters, to generators, and material to build their coveted floats.
He explained that for years carnival companies had to work and store their material in makeshift, provisional places, which made it impossible to insure.
“At the moment we’re like squatters. Apart from that, none of the places used by enthusiasts are in their name so no insurance company will cover them,” Mr Busuttil said when contacted.
He said talks had started with the Government to ensure this situation was resolved for good. Enthusiasts will have permanent premises where the title would be in the Government’s name and insurance would also be its responsibility.
Mr Busuttil, president of the Malta Association of Carnival Participants, revealed that the proposed Carnival Village earmarked for Corradino would now shift to Marsa close to Millenia, following fresh talks.
This was their second home and it’s all gone up in flames
Last November, the planning authority had granted a permit for the village to be built in Corradino in time for the 2014 carnival. At the time, then culture minister Mario de Marco had said carnival participants deserved to work in purpose-built facilities all year round.
The association had always preferred a site closer to Valletta, but at the time it had fully supported the Corradino project for 21 workshops.
Mr Busuttil said that everybody was happier with the shift to Marsa as they had inched closer to Valletta.
He added that yesterday’s talks included ways of how the Government could help those who lost everything in the fire.
Friday’s blaze started innocuously from a pile of rubbish, which enthusiasts had been urging should be collected immediately because they foresaw the danger.
The flames quickly spread to the warehouse where it fed on flammable papier-mâché, cylinders of gas and acetylene, cardboard boxes and wood, among other things.
Civil Protection Department head John Rizzo said it took firefighters four hours to bring the blaze under control.
At one point, eight fire engines were on site and the firemen were battling against a number of hazards, from strong winds to cylinders exploding inside the warehouse and cars parked in the vicinity.
Sifting through the charred remains at the warehouse, enthusiasts’ morale was low. There was nothing left they could salvage from the carcass of twisted metal and ashes.
“These people used to spend any free time they had in the warehouses. This was their second home and it’s all gone up in flames,” Mr Busuttil said.
A dark cloud has been hanging over carnival enthusiasts in the past months.
It started with the much anticipated February parade being rained off. This was followed by the death of Charles Axisa – who has been building the King Carnival float for the past 17 years – in an explosion at the plant room at the Buġibba Holiday Complex. Now the fire has wrecked three carnival companies.
“I hope we don’t have any more disasters or tragedies,” Mr Busuttil said.