Local Psychotherapist Opens Up After Apartment Fire Forces Him & Others Out Of Home

Taking to social media, Maltese Stephen Vassallo spoke out about the impact of being forced to leave his home after a fire in the common areas of his apartment block.

Vassallo said the fire appeared to have started in the area where the building’s electricity meters are located, although the official cause is still being investigated.

Vassallo described how residents were told to collect a few belongings and leave their homes shortly after the fire was extinguished.

He said that, despite the flames being brought under control, the more difficult reality began afterwards as eight families were left trying to understand where they would stay and how they would recover.

He said the most painful part of the experience was not the damage caused by the fire, but what he described as a lack of emotional and practical support in the immediate aftermath.

Vassallo questioned whether authorities and support systems are sufficiently prepared to assist people who suddenly find themselves displaced.

‘The walls will eventually be rebuilt. The soot will eventually be cleaned.But I hope this experience reminds us all that humanity should never be an afterthought’, he said.

Drawing on his professional experience supporting people through trauma, grief and crisis as a psychotherapist, Vassallo said recovery involves more than repairing damaged buildings.

‘Sometimes, the greatest form of emergency response isn't another machine, another report or another investigation. Sometimes, it’s simply remembering to care.

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