Clumps of giant reed, which are an invasive species, probably bore the brunt of the flames which have been burning at Il-Maqluba for the past two days, the Environment and Resources Authority said.

Il-Maqluba is both a Tree Protection Area and a Special Area of Conservation of International Importance. ERA said on Friday that it had worked incessantly with the Civil Protection Department (CPD) on the fires, a day after Partit Demokratiku accused the authorities of allowing the flames to rage.

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ERA said that its enforcement officers inspected the site a number of times, while CPD officers continued to fight the flames, even in the most inaccessible areas of this karstic depression that continued smouldering.

Initial indications show that some protected trees were scorched, but an accurate assessment of damages could only be made once the fires were extinguished completely, it said.

In the meantime, ERA enforcement officers have been in contact both with the CPD and with the Police to determine the exact cause of the flames – which are believed to have been sparked off by fireworks.