An early morning fire has destroyed three shops and a two-bedroom apartment at 37 Ebuka Street, White House, in Calabar South Local Government Area of Cross River State, leaving property owners and business operators counting their losses.
The fire, which occurred on Saturday, November 14, was suspected to have been caused by an electrical fault. No lives were lost, but the affected occupants lost property, household belongings and business assets worth varying amounts.
One of the property owners, an elderly landlady, Mrs Arit Effiong Effiom, said the incident had dealt a devastating blow to her livelihood, as rental income from the property constituted a significant source of her upkeep.
Effiom, who attributed the outbreak to an electrical spark, said she also lost personal belongings accumulated over several decades, even though the section of the building she occupied was not directly affected by the flames.
She appealed to the government and well-meaning individuals for assistance to enable her to recover from the losses.
A bar operator, Mr Aniedi Anderson, also said the fire had wiped out his business investment, destroying chillers, refrigerators, generators, chairs, other equipment and stock.
Anderson lamented that he had been left with virtually nothing to restart his business, appealing for support to overcome the setback.
Other occupants and shop owners also reported losing clothing, household items and other personal effects to the inferno.
Reacting to the incident, the Director-General of the Cross River State Emergency Management Agency, CR-SEMA, Mr Efa Nyong, said the agency would assess the damage and present its findings to the state government for possible intervention.
Nyong gave the assurance during a visit to the scene, where he sympathised with the victims and said the assessment would determine the extent of their losses and the assistance required.
