Property estimated at several millions of naira was burnt to ashes in Calabar, the Cross River State capital. The fire reportedly razed ten rooms, furniture, electronic, cooking utensils, clothings, certificates and undisclosed amounts within an hour.
The incident our findings revealed occurred at No 4 Aya Ata in Ikot Eka Edem in Calabar Municipal Council of Cross River State. The fire incident started at about 6pm and within one hour, it consumed everything including the entire building.
One of the victims, Mrs Fidelia Akpan Essien 50, who is a newspaper distributor in Calabar told our correspondent on Wednesday that she went to Church in the same compound shortly before the incident occurred.
According to her, she left to the church with three of her children, two boys and a girl while the eldest of them was taking his bathe but shortly on arrival, less than an hour, she saw people making frantic efforts to put out the fire. She said the efforts did not yield any positive results.
Mrs Essien said, “The fire incident occurred in a very mysterious manner on yesterday (Tuesday) while I was in the Church, Sanctified Mount Zion, No 4 Aya Ata Street, Ikot Eka Edem in Calabar. The whole house of over ten rooms was raised down. In fact, I left to the Church in the same compound around 6pm”
“I went with my three children two boys and a girl. The most senior was taken his berth and when he came back from berth room, he saw the fire. When I also came back from the Church, I saw people trying to put out the fire and by then it has consumed everything”
The victim who said she has no other cloth to wear apart from the one she put on (scripted coffee colour polo and black skirt), no other cloth as everything including furniture, electronics, wearing apparels, cooking utensils, certificates and undisclosed amounts have been burnt.
Mrs Essien who could not tell how the fire incident occurred said the fire started at about 6pm and within one hour, everything was down, “The incident occurred around 6pm and less than an hour everything was down”
She said that Cross River State Fire Service was contacted but they complaint of lack of water and by the time they eventually came, the fire had consumed everything.
“There are ten rooms in the compound and the Church is within too. By the time I left to the Church, there was no electricity supply but by time I came back, there was electricity, I could not say whether it was cause by electricity upsurge or not but really, it was mystery to me.”
The victim called on State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to come to her rescue, while urging state government and relevant agencies to investigate the fire incident with a view to bringing anybody involved to book.