Blackout hits parts of Calabar as fire guts power substation

Some parts of Cross River State have been thrown into darkness as a major electricity facility of the Transmission Company of Nigeria located in Tinapa, was gutted by fire on Saturday.

The incident reportedly led to the destruction of the 330/132/33 Mbh power substation in Tinapa, Adiabo area of the state.

Major areas affected are Atimbo in Calabar Municipality, State Housing Estate, and IBB Way.

The fire, which started while work on one of the transformers was ongoing, took several hours to put out.

A resident in the area said an explosion was first heard, followed by a huge fire engulfing the station.

Another resident however said no life was lost in the incident.

The Incident Regional Manager, Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC), Collins Igwe, expressed shock over the incident and said he would visit the facility to assess the extent of the damage.

He said, “I have heard about the fire outbreak. It is shocking, nobody is sure about the cause.

“I am on my way to assess the extent of damage; we will look at how soon we can restore power to the parts of town affected.”