Devastating Fire Hits Calabar Timber Market, N500m Lost

A devastating fire broke out around 8:30 pm on Friday at a popular timber market in Calabar, razing goods estimated at N500 million and leaving scores of traders in anguish.

The blaze swept through the market, razing more than 100 shops and consuming timber and other wares, with human casualty yet to be ascertained.

“Our shops are completely gone, we don’t know what to do,” said a distraught trader, Mr. Silas Ikwen.

Eyewitnesses said the fire began around 8 :00 pm when the market was largely deserted by the timber dealers, allowing it to spread rapidly before any intervention.

“It was like a midnight inferno, we heard the noise and rushed back but everything was already gone,” another trader said.

The timber market serves as a major hub for timber and allied businesses in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, making the scale of the destruction particularly devastating for livelihoods.

The cause of the fire remained unknown as at the time of filing this report, with no official statement from authorities, including the police, the State Emergency Management Agency, and fire services.

Notably, no fire service unit had responded to the incident, raising fresh concerns over emergency response in the state capital, with many questioning the effectiveness of the available fire services