By BANNERNEWS Reporter
Goods estimated at over N100 million, three houses and shops have been lost in a raging fire incident on Goldie Street by Bedwell Street in Calabar, Cross River State capital.
The fire outbreak happened when owners had left for church service on Sunday.
The inferno, whose cause had yet to be ascertained at press time, consumed foam mattresses and other household items stocked in affected shops, leaving residents counting heavy losses.
Angry residents reportedly attacked fire service personnel who arrived very late at the scene, accusing them of gross negligence and failure to respond promptly to distress calls.
Witnesses said calls were placed to the University of Calabar Fire Service, the Federal Fire Service, and the Cross River State Fire Service shortly after the fire started, but none responded until the blaze had already caused extensive damage.
Tension escalated when a rickety fire service truck eventually arrived, triggering outrage from residents who pelted the crew with stones, water sachets and other objects, forcing them to retreat from the area.
One of the victims, Mr Wilson Akpan, who struggled to salvage items from a mattress shop, described the incident as unfortunate, lamenting the poor state of fire-fighting infrastructure in the state.
According to him, the inability of fire services to respond effectively during emergencies had repeatedly resulted in avoidable losses of lives and property.
Meanwhile, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, ASP Etiokpah Sunday, appealed for calm, saying investigations had commenced to determine the cause of the fire.
He warned residents against taking the law into their hands or exploiting the situation to foment further unrest.
