A fire broke out on Triq Edgard Bernard on Thursday evening.
Police said that no injuries have been reported.
People who were close to the scene also reported hearing a loud explosion at around 6 pm.
“It was like the loud fireworks you hear in the morning of a festa had set off a few metres away from where I was”, one man who was close to the scene said.
Soon after, the street was full of ambulances and fire engines, he said.
Pictures taken by Times of Malta show one Gżira flat visibly damaged, with the walls of what was a white balcony completely blackened out.
A video shows that a large fire had broken out before the explosion. Firefighters were already on the scene when the blast shook the area.
Sources said that the explosion was most likely caused by a gas cylinder that exploded following the fire.
Times of Malta was also told that no one was in the flat when all this occurred.
Those living in flats adjacent to the explosion were evacuated from their homes.
Firefighters were also seen using an extension ladder to get onto a third-floor balcony as people watched on. Pictures seen by Times of Malta show the street where the incident took place has been cordoned off.
Firefighters were also seen using an extension ladder to get onto a third-floor balcony as people watched on.
Photo: Chris Sant Fournier