She continued: “It is one of the notorious markets in the entire Cross River State known for experiencing many fire outbreaks in the last decade. A great fortune had been lost to the inferno.
Among the causes of fire outbreaks at Mariam Market include; carelessness on the part of traders who locked up their shops and returned home without putting off their appliances. On August 30, 2022, traders of Mirian Market who trade in fruit again suffered losses amid fire incidents.Shops stocked with goods worth millions of naira were burnt down to ashes leaving the victims in penury and tears due to losses incurred following the fire outbreak which lasted for over four hours until a team of Federal Fire Service arrived at the scene to put out the market fire.Speaking on the issue, the commanding officer, Calabar Command of the Federal Fire Service, Mrs.
“There was no presence of other fire services outside that of the federal and it was not until around 7 am before we were able to put out the fire,” the commander stated. “I don’t know how to face my landlord. I opt to pay my rent next week after the sales of goods I bought last week. Now the whole goods I bought have been engulfed in flames,” she lamented.