Property worth millions of naira have been destroyed following a fire outbreak in Okuku, Yala Local Government Area of Cross River State on Thursday night.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the inferno, which started from a bungalow, could not be extinguished until it spread to other surrounding structures.
Eyewitnesses told NAN it took the efforts of youths and women in the community to salvage some property from the affected houses.
One of them, Benjamin Ogar, attributed the fire outbreak to power surge from public supply.
Ogar said: “This fire was caused by electric power surge, and I can tell you that a lot was lost in the main building affected by the inferno
“This type of large-scale destruction can be avoided if there is an effective fire service department.
“As soon as the fire started, we rushed to the fire station but discovered that they had nothing to work with.”
Nsikak Abang, another eyewitness, urged the government to revamp fire stations across the three senatorial districts of the state.
He said that the poor state of fire service stations in the state portended danger to lives and property.
Abang said: “I am aware that the situation is the same in Calabar and Ogoja, something has to be done quickly.
“If the government is serious about public safety, it should equip fire service stations because emergencies don’t ring bells.”
When contacted, Emmanuel Ajom, the Director, Cross River State Fire Service, said that the service’s fire trucks were currently under maintenance.
NAN recalls that only recently, another fire outbreak in a gas plant in Edibe Edibe area, Calabar South injured no fewer than 60 persons.
