Gas cylinder explosion rocks market in Cross River

Goods reportedly worth millions of naira were destroyed in a fire outbreak at Marian Fruits Market in Calabar, Cross River state.

According to NAN, it took about five hours for firefighters to put out the inferno on Tuesday.

Olumayowa Olomola, commanding officer at the Federal Fire Service in Calabar, said the fire was caused by a gas explosion in one of the shops.

She said the command received a distress call at 2.40am when the fire started and its operatives immediately swung into action.

“The fire started from one of the shops where the occupant, a woman who was boiling beans slept off,” she said.

“The woman in question had other cylinders filled with gas in her shop and this led to the explosion when what she was cooking got burnt.

“There was no response from any other fire service until the Federal Fire Service put out the fire around 7am.”

There have been several incidents of market fires across Nigeria in recent times.

Days ago, many spare parts shops were razed in a fire outbreak at Owode Onirin market, along Ikorodu road, Lagos.

Adeseye Margaret, the director of Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, said firefighters made efforts to douse the inferno.

She said no cases of injury or death were recorded but a few shops were razed.