Smoke still rising 20 hours after fire at Dhaka airport

Business owners fear heavy losses as a result of the blaze

Smoke is still rising from the cargo complex of Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, 20 hours after a fire broke out there.

Firefighters were continuing their work at the scene at 10am on Sunday, while members of other law-enforcing agencies also remained deployed in the area.

As of 10:30am, the blaze had not yet been fully extinguished, according to Lima Khanam, duty officer of the Fire Service Control Room.

“It’s not possible to say precisely how much longer it will take,” she said.

The fire had started around 2:15pm on Saturday in a courier warehouse within the import complex of the airport’s cargo village. The flames gradually spread throughout the entire complex.

It was not until around 9pm that flight operations, which had been suspended due to the incident, were able to resume. The Fire Service said that there was no further risk of the fire expanding or spreading again.

Business owners have expressed fears of enormous losses as a result of the blaze.

Moniruzzaman, an employee of a C&F agent company located near the scene, said: “Many businessmen have been badly affected by this fire. Imported goods have been reduced to ashes. We are deeply worried.”

Passengers experienced severe hardship due to the suspension of flights. Flights bound for Dhaka were diverted to Sylhet and Chattogram.

One passenger, Mahmudul Islam, who was travelling with US-Bangla Airlines from Chattogram to Dhaka, said: “I had a family event in Dhaka. Naturally, after this incident, I couldn’t attend it. Hundreds of passengers at Shah Amanat [Airport in Chattogram] faced similar circumstances.”

Separate investigation committees have been formed by the Internal Resources Division and the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism to determine the cause of the fire and assess the extent of the damage.

Sheikh Bashiruddin, advisor to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, visited the site to inspect the damage on Saturday night.

The Chief Advisor's Office said that if any credible evidence of sabotage or deliberate arson was found, the government would take immediate and decisive action.