A fire outbreak wreaked havoc at Calabar’s popular Watt Market in the capital of Cross River State, on Thursday, resulting in the destruction of items valued at millions of naira.

The fire started around 2:00 am and significantly impacted at least six shops located near the Hewett Street area of the renowned Watt Market.

Confirming the incident, Mrs. Olumayowa Olomola, the Commanding Officer of the Federal Fire Service in Calabar, stated, “The fire was caused by a power surge in one of the shopping malls at the market.”

She added, “Our response was timely and we could only prevent the fire from spreading beyond the six affected shops.”

Although an exact estimate of the value of the items destroyed in the affected shops was not provided, it was emphasized that these shops were well-stocked with goods.

However, there were no reported casualties as a result of the fire. Mrs. Olomola commended the timely response from her team, noting that their quick intervention prevented the fire from spreading to additional shops and adjacent buildings.

She advised the public to take precautionary measures by turning off electrical appliances to prevent incidents like this from occurring in the future.

The shops affected by the fire included a baby shop, footwear stores, sports apparel shops, and others.