Updated 9.15am with residents' comments

A car parked in Paceville burst into flames last night in what residents believed to be an act of arson. 

A man wearing a helmet was seen throwing an item with flammable liquid through the window of a car of a resident who lives in the St George's Park complex around 10.30pm. 

Noticing the fire, a resident chased after the perpetrator who fled in a getaway car driven by another man, who left the scene hurling abuse at the witness. 

"I saw him rolling something flammable in what looked like a jacket and hurled it through the car window. I shouted at the man and started chasing after him but he fled," the resident told Times of Malta, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The incident happened in the private car park of the complex as several residents were returning back home after a rowdy public consultation meeting in connection with the controversial Paceville masterplan project.

The car, which is believed to belong to the wife of a retired British architect, has been destroyed. Nobody was injured. A police report has been filed, including details of the getaway car. 

A resident who spoke to Times of Malta this morning said the police need to find the perpetrators as soon as possible to put residents' minds at rest. 

"We don't know why this incident happened. If it's related to the Paceville project then we have a big problem on our hands. God forbid it is," the resident said when asked if he feared a connection between the attack and the contested masterplan.

The residents have also for months been complaining about the excessive noise made by neighbouring establishments. 

The incident happened a week after a 68-year-old businessman was killed in a car bomb in Bugibba.