Fire fighters douse Dhaka airport fire

The fire at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport that broke out at a warehouse in the cargo village has been brought under control around Friday noon.

Officials said 10 fire fighting units tamed the flames after frantic efforts lasting two hours.

Fire Service and Civil Defence officials confirmed to bdnews24.com about the situation. Flights to and from the airport were reportedly unaffected.

“The fire began in the courier service section of the cargo village at around 11:30am,” Fire Service Control Room official Abdur Rahman told had bdnews24.com.

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Muhammad Faruk Khan went to the airport after the fire was doused.

He said orders had been given to form an investigation committee, under the Civil Aviation Ministry, to probe the fire. Khan said the body will submit its report quickly.

Asked what caused the fire, the minister said it was anticipated to have originated from the on-going welding work at the warehouse of a company. He, however, said it was impossible to determine the cause before proper investigation.

At present, 40 companies are involved with unloading goods at the airport. The fire broke out at the storehouse of T&T Express, a multinational courier service.

Airport Supervisor Zakir Hossain said parcels and documents from abroad were being kept at that particular warehouse of the cargo village.

The company’s head of Bangladesh National Operations Department, Shah Alam, told bdnews24.com all their goods had been gutted in the fire.

He said they would decide later whether to claim compensations for the damages.

Minister Khan said authorities had been ordered to ensure safety of the cargos and warehouses.

Courier Service United Post official Anwar Hossain said usually goods are loaded in the warehouse on Friday and delivery begins from Saturday. “Most of our couriers were gutted in the fire,” he had claimed.

No journalists were allowed inside the damaged warehouse during the minister’s visit.

Meanwhile, Fire Service and Civil Defence’s Director General Brig Gen Ali Ahmed said they had formed a five-strong committee to probe the matter. Fire service head office’s Deputy Director Arup Chandra Biswas will head the investigation body.