A late-night fire has gutted the Akim Timber Market in Calabar, destroying goods and property worth millions of Naira and raising fresh concerns over fire safety and emergency response in Cross River State, South-South Nigeria.
The blaze, which broke out near the Akim Police Area Command, spread rapidly through the market’s timber structures, leaving traders scrambling to salvage what they could as flames engulfed their shops.
This is coming just one week after the gas explosion at Edibe Edibe left 60 residents injured.
Eyewitnesses say the fire started at about 8:30p.m., quickly escalating due to the highly flammable nature of timber and sawdust within the market.
Traders and residents made frantic efforts to rescue goods and contain the blaze, but many could only watch helplessly as their means of livelihood were destroyed.
The inferno was eventually extinguished at about 1:55 a.m., with no loss of life recorded, although goods valued at millions of Naira were destroyed.
Meanwhile, there are growing concerns over delay in response of fire fighters to fire incidents. State Commissioner for Information, Erasmus Ekpang, had in an earlier interview, assured that the government is taking steps to strengthen fire service capacity and improve emergency response across the state.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, Sunday Eitokpah, the Command says preliminary findings indicate that the fire allegedly originated from a spark from public power supply within the market.
As investigations continue, stakeholders are calling for stricter safety measures and improved emergency preparedness to safeguard lives and property in major commercial centres.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
