Airport cargo village fire: Why the fire couldn’t be contained quickly despite early alert
The airport’s own firefighting team at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport was alerted about the fire at the “cargo village complex” quite promptly. However, they were unable to reach the source of the fire due to the chaotic piles of goods stored inside. Spraying water from a distance proved ineffective.
These details emerged from conversations with several personnel of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB)’s in-house fire station.
The fire broke out last Saturday afternoon at the cargo village—the airport’s warehouse area. There were no casualties, but traders claim that goods and raw materials worth an estimated Tk 3 billion (300 crore) were destroyed. They suspect the losses may be even higher.
The blaze began around 2:15 pm. According to multiple fire station staff, after the fire started, the airport’s air traffic controller (ATC) relayed the message to CAAB’s own fire station. Upon receiving instructions, two fire units rushed to the scene.
Two personnel of fire station, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that they could not do much for quite some time upon arrival. They later tried to douse the flames by spraying water from afar, but strong winds caused the fire to spread rapidly throughout the building.
Firefighters blamed the mismanagement of airport authorities, saying it prevented them from effectively controlling the fire. Had the goods been cleared quickly, they could have reached closer to the flames and prevent the fire from spreading rapidly.
Firefighters blamed the mismanagement of airport authorities, saying it prevented them from effectively controlling the fire. Had the goods been cleared quickly, they could have reached closer to the flames and prevent the fire from spreading rapidly.
When contacted, Shakil Miraj, director of cargo management at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, told Prothom Alo that a probe committee had been formed to investigate the matter.
According to CAAB sources, the airport maintains its own firefighting system that meets international standards. There are four fire units, of which three vehicles are operational and one is under repair. Each unit has six to seven personnel.
Sources said that 10 minutes after CAAB’s two units reached the site, an Air Force fire unit arrived. Later, units from the Army and the Fire Service joined in.
A total of 37 units from 13 fire stations, along with personnel from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Police, and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), took part in the operation.
The fire was brought under control after seven hours, and the airport resumed operations around 9:00 pm. It took 26 hours to completely extinguish the fire.
All 19 firefighting vehicles need repairs
A letter from CAAB’s central procurement, engineering, and store unit states that there are 19 “Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting Vehicles” across eight airports in Bangladesh.
Of these, four are at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (Dhaka), three at Shah Amanat (Chattogram), four at Osmani (Sylhet), two at Cox’s Bazar, two at Saidpur, one at Jashore, one at Shah Makhdum (Rajshahi), and two at Barishal airports.
From 1 April to July 2024, CAAB’s relevant unit sent 19 letters to headquarters requesting repairs. The latest was sent on 31 July, warning that failure to fix minor issues could lead to major mechanical failures in the future, potentially forcing service suspensions and attracting audit objections from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
A fire occurred at Dhaka airport earlier when I was the fire chief. I had made several recommendations back then. None of them were implementedAli Ahmed Khan, former DG of the Fire Service and Civil Defence
Efforts to reach CAAB officials for comment on why repairs were not carried out proved unsuccessful. Repeated phone calls and text messages went unanswered.
Brigadier General (retd) Ali Ahmed Khan, former Director General of the Fire Service and Civil Defence, told Prothom Alo that a world-class airport must have effective firefighting systems, but Dhaka Airport does not.
According to him, there is severe mismanagement and lack of coordination among those responsible for airport operations.
“A fire occurred at Dhaka airport earlier when I was the fire chief. I had made several recommendations back then. None of them were implemented. If they had been, this fire wouldn’t have caused such heavy losses,” he said.
Investigation committee
Meanwhile, on Monday, the Fire Service and Civil Defence Directorate formed a five-member investigation committee to probe the cargo village fire. The committee is headed by Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, director of operations and maintenance.
Senior staff officer Md Shahjahan Sikder told Prothom Alo that the committee has been asked to submit its report within 15 working days.
Earlier, on Sunday, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism had also formed a separate committee to investigate the incident.