A late-night fire has gutted a timber market in Calabar, Cross River State, destroying goods worth millions of naira.
In a video seen by our correspondent, three men were observed expressing grief over the loss of their property as stacks of timber burned intensely.
At the time of the footage, no fire service personnel were visible at the scene.
However, the state Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Sunday Eitokpah, in a message sent around 10:02pm, stated that he was already at the scene and that the University of Calabar Fire Service had been contacted.
According to the PPRO, the incident occurred around 8:30 pm on Friday at the timber market located beside the Police Barracks in the state capital.
The command said preliminary reports indicated that the fire allegedly started from “a spark originating from the public power supply within the market.”
Eitokpah said, “Upon receipt of the report, a swift and coordinated response was initiated. Police personnel, including patrol teams and tactical units, were immediately deployed to the scene.”
He added that the operation was personally coordinated by the Commissioner of Police, Rashid Afegbua.
The police spokesman noted that the combined efforts of the police, the Cross River State Fire Service, and the University of Calabar Fire Service helped to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to the nearby Police Barracks.
“With the collaborative efforts of the police and the timely intervention of the fire services, the fire was successfully contained and prevented from spreading to the nearby Police Barracks,” he said.
Eitokpah further disclosed that “the inferno was eventually extinguished at about 1:55 am on 28th March, 2026.”
While no lives were lost, he said goods and properties, mainly timber and other materials, valued at millions of naira were destroyed.
“Fortunately, no lives were lost in the incident. However, goods and properties… valued at millions of naira were destroyed,” he said.
He stated that further investigation into the cause of the fire had commenced.
(Punch)
