A massive fire tore through the cargo complex of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka yesterday, burning goods stored at the facility, disrupting flights, and causing long delays and diversions.

The fire started around 2:30pm, with thick black smoke engulfing the airport and surrounding areas, visible from afar for hours.

At 9:18pm, the Fire Service and Civil Defence announced the flames had been brought under control. Around the same time, airport authorities said flight operations — including the return of flights diverted to other airports — had resumed.

The blaze broke out near Gate No. 8 of the import cargo complex and quickly engulfed warehouses packed with imported chemicals, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and garments.

The cause was yet to be determined till the filing of this report at 12:30am.

As many as 37 units from 13 fire stations, joined by the Air Force, Navy, Army, Civil Aviation Authority, Border Guard Bangladesh, and police, worked for hours to contain the blaze.

At 10:07pm, Brigadier General Mohammad Jahed Kamal, director general of the Fire Service and Civil Defence, said, “We are still working at the site. We’ll hand over the area [to airport authorities] after the fire is completely put out. Two firefighters and several Ansar members were injured, but none of them are in critical condition.”

A press release by Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party said 25 Ansar members were hurt in the incident.

No other casualties were reported.

Our correspondent saw some rooms in the complex still burning around 11:00pm. Asked about it around that time, Brigadier Jahed said, “It will not spread further.”

Cargo parking in-charge and witness Momin Majumder said he first saw the fire near the Skyview Airline office at Gate No-8. “At that time, the intensity was not high, but it quickly spread to a nearby courier service office and eventually reached Godown No-3, where imported mobile phones and electronics were stored.

“The airport’s own firefighters tried to douse it, but it soon reached the DGR [dangerous goods] section, where chemicals were kept. Shortly afterwards, explosions occurred, and the blaze spread rapidly.”

He added, “The flames then reached Godown No-1, where passengers’ belongings were stored, and then spread to the area where valuable items such as gold were kept.”

The extent of the damage is yet to be known, but C&F agents fear massive losses, with many valuable imports reduced to ashes.

Khairul Alam Bhuiyan, vice-president of the Dhaka Customs Agents Association, said, “We saw fires in the imported cargo section in 2013 and 2017, but they weren’t as severe. This time, the entire section has been burnt.”

The civil aviation ministry, the Internal Resources Division of the finance ministry, and Biman Bangladesh Airlines have formed separate committees to investigate the incident.

Meanwhile, Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus assured the public that the interim government was aware of the growing concern over the recent spate of major fires across the country.

In a statement issued by the chief adviser’s press wing, he said, “We wish to assure all citizens that the security services are investigating each incident thoroughly and protecting lives and property with utmost vigilance. Any credible evidence of sabotage or arson will be met with a swift and resolute response…. Let us be clear: if these fires prove to be acts of sabotage meant to sow panic and division, they will succeed only if we allow fear to overtake reason and resolve.”

Besides yesterday’s incident, two more fires — one at a garment factory and chemical warehouse in Dhaka’s Mirpur, and another at a factory building in the Chattogram EPZ — occurred within the past five days.

FLIGHT DISRUPTIONS

At least eight domestic and international flights were diverted to Chattogram and Sylhet, while hundreds of outbound passengers were stranded at HSIA for hours.

Four international and four domestic flights carrying 1,264 passengers and crew were diverted to Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram, our correspondent reported.

The international flights included two US-Bangla Airlines flights from Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, one Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight from Singapore, and an Air Arabia flight from the Middle East. As of 11:30pm, all diverted flights had returned to Dhaka after operations at HSIA resumed.

Three international flights were diverted to Sylhet’s Osmani International Airport, our Sylhet correspondent reported, while three domestic departures from there were delayed.

A Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight from Riyadh carrying 396 passengers landed in Sylhet at 3:31pm, and the passengers were moved to a lounge after about four hours. Two US-Bangla Airlines flights from Singapore and the Maldives landed there at 6:05pm and 6:15pm.

From Dhaka, at least over a dozen domestic flights were disrupted.

POOR PROTOCOL AT HSIA

Aviation expert Kazi Wahidul Alam told The Daily Star that the standard protocol required for import and export cargo villages at HSIA was not maintained. “The airport authorities should ensure international-standard protocols, especially regarding firefighting capacity at the cargo village.”

He expressed concern over how long it took to bring the fire under control, adding that it was alarming that goods at the cargo village were not stored in a classified manner, with different types of items — including chemicals and garments — kept together.

Another expert, ATM Nazrul Islam, said HSIA authorities, in coordination with the fire service, should assess whether they have the necessary equipment to efficiently handle such large-scale fires.

DAMAGES BEYOND BURNING

Faruque Alam, general secretary of the Dhaka Customs Agents Association, said, “Hundreds of tonnes of goods were stored there, including imported materials from countries like China and the USA, readymade garments, industrial raw materials, pharmaceutical ingredients, essential vaccines, and electronic equipment.

“There were thousands of different items — from urgent documents and books to costly industrial goods. Judging by the scale of the flames, it’s clear that nothing remains there … We believe the losses have already crossed Tk 1,000 crore, though a full assessment is still not possible.”

Fazlee Shamim Ehsan, executive president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, told The Daily Star, “The losses cannot be measured only by the value of the burnt products.

“For instance, we imported 500 pieces of lace to produce 15,000 dresses. The fire may have destroyed those 500 laces, but the production of all the dresses will be halted.”

Md Zakir Hossain, managing director of Delta Pharma Ltd, said his company was unsure about the condition of two consignments following the fire.

“One consignment landed yesterday [Friday] and another was scheduled to arrive today [yesterday] at 2:40pm. Even if the materials weren’t burned, exposure to water could render them useless,” he said, adding they could not assess the situation due to restricted access.

Inamul Haq Khan, senior vice-president of the BGMEA, said the fire at the airport’s cargo village is an ominous sign for the country’s export and import business, as international clothing brands may now worry about timely shipments.

Adding that many garment samples stored there were reportedly burnt, he said, “A massive fire in such a secured area of the country’s premier airport is not a normal incident.”

Anwar-ul-Alam Chowdhury Parvez, president of the Bangladesh Chamber of Industries, said, “These aren’t just any goods — they include urgent and valuable items. Many haven’t even been cleared yet. This affects production timelines, delivery schedules, and severely hampers buyer confidence.”

Notably, the same cargo complex had earned a perfect score in a UK Department for Transport audit for its additional cargo security measures a week ago.