Fidelia Soriwei, Abuja
A major fire outbreak on Saturday gutted the popular SPAR Mall in Calabar, Cross River State, triggering panic among shoppers, business owners and residents as flames tore through parts of the commercial complex.
Videos circulating on social media showed thick black smoke billowing into the sky while intense flames spread across sections of the shopping mall.
Eyewitnesses at the scene said the fire rapidly moved through several shops, raising fears over the scale of damage to businesses operating within the facility.
“It’s moving from shop to shop,” a witness was heard saying in one of the videos from the scene.
Several shop owners and residents expressed concern as goods and property believed to be worth millions of naira were threatened by the inferno.
In some of the viral clips, bystanders complained about what they described as a delayed emergency response during the early stages of the incident.
“No fire service in Calabar,” another witness lamented in a video.
A visibly distressed woman also said, “What a day. See what is happening to millions of naira at SPAR shopping mall. No water to quench it, no fire service to rescue. Look at our shops and millions of naira.”
Later footage showed firefighters and security personnel arriving at the location to contain the blaze and maintain order around the affected area.
Police officers were also seen assisting with crowd control as emergency responders worked to prevent the fire from spreading further.
The cause of the fire has not been established, and authorities have yet to provide details on possible casualties or the full extent of damage to the shopping mall.
As of the time of filing this report, the Cross River State Government and relevant emergency management agencies had not issued an official statement on the incident.
