₦2.5bn Properties Lost to Fire in Cross River as Six Sustain Injuries in Eight Months

 

Cross River State has recorded 17 fire incidents between January and September 2026, with properties estimated at ₦2.5 billion destroyed and six people injured, according to the state’s Fire Service.

The State Commanding Officer of the Fire Service, Olumayowa Olomola, disclosed the figures in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Calabar on Wednesday.

According to her, no death was recorded in the 17 incidents during the period under review, although six houses were gutted by fire.

The incidents occurred in different parts of the state and affected private residences, the Governor’s Office, an educational institution, a market, timber shed, shopping mall, tanker spill and an industrial facility.

Beyond the fire outbreaks themselves, the Fire Service identified operational challenges that could affect emergency response across the state.

Olomola listed inadequate security cover, shortage of operational vehicles and irregular diesel supply among the major challenges facing the service.

She said security remains a particular concern during emergency operations because firefighters do not carry firearms and can become vulnerable to attacks by mobs while responding to fire outbreaks.

She recalled an incident at Goldie Market in Calabar on January 11, where firefighters responding to an emergency were reportedly attacked.

The Fire Service also needs more operational vehicles, including fire tankers, ambulances and utility vehicles, Olomola said, stressing that the shortage could affect the speed and effectiveness of emergency response.

She therefore called for adequate and regular diesel supply to keep firefighting vehicles and other equipment operational.

The latest figures come amid repeated fire incidents across Cross River this year. In March, a fire destroyed more than 100 shops at the Akim Timber Market in Calabar, while another outbreak in Okuku, Yala Local Government Area, destroyed several houses.

The state government had also recently acknowledged equipment and training challenges facing the Fire Service. In September, Commissioner for Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations, Dodeye Ikpi Arikpo, assured personnel that attention would be given to training and maintenance of firefighting equipment.

With ₦2.5 billion worth of property already lost to fire in eight months, the latest statistics have again drawn attention to the need for stronger emergency response capacity, functioning firefighting equipment and improved safety for firefighters across Cross River.