The 116-year-old statue of Our Lady Stella Maris was covered in soot but otherwise undamaged after a fire broke out in its niche at Stella Maris Church in Sliema this morning. The blaze, thought to have been caused by an electrical fault, broke out during the 7 a.m. Mass.

The niche suffered extensive damage but quick-thinking members of the congregation managed to extinguish the fire and hastily removed the statue from its place before any serious harm was caused to it, although it will need some restoration.

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