A fire outbreak has destroyed several shops and valuable property at the SPAR Mall in Calabar, Cross River State.

The incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday, August 22, 2026, causing panic among traders, employees and residents in the area as flames and thick smoke spread through parts of the shopping complex.

Several sections of the mall were reportedly affected, including a pharmacy, clothing store, perfumery and phone shop.

Eyewitnesses said the situation became chaotic as traders and workers rushed to evacuate their belongings and rescue whatever goods they could from the affected premises.

Some business owners reportedly broke down in tears over the destruction, with the value of the losses feared to run into billions of naira.

The fire also drew residents and passersby to the scene, while security personnel were deployed to control the crowd and protect the premises.

Government officials subsequently visited the mall to assess the extent of the damage and coordinate the emergency response.

Among those at the scene was the State Environmental Director of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, Raymond Anunobi, as well as the Cross River State Governor’s Special Adviser on General Duties, Ekpenyong Akiba.

The officials inspected the affected areas and engaged with stakeholders as efforts continued to establish the full scale of the destruction.

The cause of the fire has not been established. Authorities are expected to investigate the incident to determine what triggered the outbreak.

For the affected traders, attention has now shifted to assessing the losses and seeking possible government or institutional intervention.

The Calabar incident comes about a month after a midnight fire destroyed 17 containerised lock-up shops at Sabo Market in Ikorodu, Lagos State.

Emergency responders arrived at the Lagos scene at about 12:54 a.m. and found flames engulfing a row of 17 shops out of about 30 containerised stores.

Earlier in February, two separate midnight fires also destroyed shops and merchandise in Awka, the Anambra State capital.

The incidents occurred at Nwafor Plaza, off Oby Okoli Avenue near UNIZIK Junction, Okpuno Road, and at Igiligi Lane, off Godwill Junction, Okpuno, all within Awka South Local Government Area.

No deaths were recorded in the Awka incidents, although goods and property worth millions of naira were destroyed.