Plumes of black smoke swallowed Eden Cinemas in St Julian's on Thursday morning, as firemen were on scene en-masse battling a fire inside, the second to hit the company in two days.

The fire, according to Times of Malta reports, broke out at around 8am this morning, at the cinema complex in Triq Santu Wistin.

At least four fire engines were reportedly on-site, and firemen were seen entering the premises wearing breathing equipment.

At the time of writing, it was not clear how severe damage to the facility is, or if anyone was harmed in the blaze.

The cinema recently underwent a major renovation, only opening to customers, with its new sleek branding and facilities at the very end of 2019, before being forced to intermittently close in the next year and a half as COVID-related restrictions hit entertainment businesses particularly hard.

It is the second fire to hit the complex in recent days, as a small fire reportedly broke out at the adjacent Eden Superbowl on Tuesday afternoon.

In that case, no serious damage was reported and no one was hurt.