A devastating fire gutted parts of the Holy Family Catholic Church, Ikom, in the early hours of Friday, destroying vital church documents and damaging the vestry and sections of the main worship hall.
Eyewitnesses said the blaze started before dawn, prompting swift action from church members who were already at the premises. Their efforts helped to contain the flames before firefighters from the Ikom Divisional Fire Service arrived. As of the time of filing this report, the cause of the fire remains unknown.
The tragedy has left the parish community in shock, with church officials assessing the extent of damage to property and documents.
In a separate but equally disastrous incident, a violent rainstorm swept through Calabar, the Cross River State capital, leaving destruction in its wake. The storm, which struck with ferocity on Wednesday, uprooted trees, snapped electric poles, and ripped rooftops off houses in several parts of the city.
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Major streets including Spring Road, Atekong Road, and the area around the State Housing Police Station were littered with debris. Notable locations such as Zenith Bank Highway, NEWMAP by Bishop Monya, Bateba, Asari Iso, and Diamond Hill were all severely affected.
Residents who spoke to The Trumpet lamented the repeated destruction caused by extreme weather events in recent weeks. Just last week, a falling tree crushed a car on the highway, and another tree collapsed near the Federal Housing Junction, disrupting traffic flow. Two weeks ago, another incident was recorded along UCTH Road where property was destroyed.
In a similar event last year, a massive tree fell on a power transmission line along Harbour Road, plunging parts of Calabar into total darkness for nearly two weeks.
As climate change continues to increase the frequency and intensity of such disasters, residents are calling on the Cross River State Government to implement preventive measures, including regular pruning of trees and improved emergency response infrastructure.
