Over 200 shops razed in fire outbreak at Cross River market

No fewer than 201 locked up shops containing assorted  chemicals for cocoa farming have been completely destroyed by fire.

A senior official of Nigerian Red Cross, Mr Cosmas Itaka confirmed the incident, saying the inferno is thought to have started around 10pm on Monday.

In a telephone interview,  Itaka said the shops were located on Lagos line in Ikom, central Cross River State.

The entire Lagos line is destroyed as it’s the core of the affected area.  Properties and shops were destroyed by the inferno.

“We have not immediately ascertained the cause of the blaze but we are doing estimation of the goods, including cocoa chemicals destroyed to be around N800 million.”

“The fire is said to have started at about 10.49pm when the shop owners and neighbours had closed and gone home.

“We arrived early enough when we were alerted and have been able to secure some remnants of goods to block possible thieves from carting them away. We have been able to disconnect some electric wires and are presently clearing the sites in effort to quench the raging fire”, he said.

He also confirmed that police and other security personnel have also arrived the scene of the fire.