IKOM FIRE OUTBREAK: SEMA appraises extent of damage
Emmanuel Alfred
The Director-General of the Cross River State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), James Anam, has announced that the two tragic fire incidents that occurred recently have claimed one life and destroyed 32 motorcycles and about 630 shops in Ikom Local Government Area of Cross River State.
The CONVERSEER reports that one of the fire incidents which occurred on Monday, 8th April 2024, around 10 PM destroyed several shops in Ikom market.
Anam said this after leading a team comprising of Department of State Services (DSS), Red Cross, representatives from Ikom Local Government Area, market leaders, and the Head of Operations of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in Uyo, to assess the extent of the damage.
He said, “The team was taken round the five lines that were affected in the market, and it was observed that the severity of the fire was beyond the coping capacity of the market traders.
“The incident destroyed/affected shops, goods worth millions of naira and cash was also burnt.”
The SEMA DG said the team also assessed the burnt fuel tanker along Calabar Road by County Specialist Hospital, 4 Corners, Ikom, which occurred on the 9th of April 2024. Anam said the fuel tanker incident “took a life, damaged 32 motorcycles, and buburnt over 29 shops along the roadside.”
During the assessment, Pastor Moris Ewonkom, Ikom Market Leader and his executives as well as a representative from the Local Government Area, Mr Ajom David, appealed for assistance from the Federal Government Mr Ajom David, appealed for assistance from the Federal Government to cushion the effect of the disaster.
The collaborative efforts of government agencies, emergency responders, and community stakeholders in assessing the damage and coordinating response activities demonstrate the commitment to addressing the immediate needs of the affected population and working towards building resilience in the face of disasters,” the statement by DG SEMA added.
