A catastrophic fire ravaged Ikom’s main market, located in the Ikom Local Government Area of Cross River, leaving over 200 shops in ruins late Monday night. Mr Chika Anya, the chairman of the Lagos line of the market, described the fire as an intense inferno that engulfed everything in its path without sparing any shop. He further revealed that this has been an annual occurrence in the market.
Anya also accused the state fire service of being ill-equipped to handle such a raging fire, leaving the affected shop owners with no choice but to appeal to the government for help in rebuilding their lives. He went on to urge the government to establish a well-equipped fire service in Ikom and other council areas of the state to prevent future occurrences.
One of the affected shop owners, Augustine Eze, who was still in shock, stated that it was difficult to ascertain the cause of the fire since there was no electricity and nobody was allowed to pass the night in the market. He also lamented that they received little support from the state fire service during the incident.
Meanwhile, Mr Peter Okorebi, the state Director of Fire Service, promised to investigate the cause of the fire and take preventive measures. However, he also revealed that the shop owners had a habit of cooking in their shops despite repeated warnings against such practices by the fire service. According to him, the traders have refused to heed safety precautions, and the fire service has repeatedly advised them against such a trend, but to no avail.
Despite this, the director debunked claims that the fire service lacked the necessary facilities to contain fire outbreaks in the area. He vowed to ensure that the market and its traders comply with fire safety protocols to prevent future occurrence.
