Fire at Shahjalal Airport caused by electrical short circuit, not sabotage

The devastating fire that broke out last October at the cargo village (goods storage area) of Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport was not an act of sabotage. The fire originated from an electrical short circuit.

This information came up in the investigation report. The report was submitted to chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus during the advisory council meeting on Tuesday by senior secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Nasimul Gani.

Later in the afternoon, at a press conference held at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka, the chief adviser’s press secretary, Shafiqul Alam, presented the findings of the investigation report. The law adviser Professor Asif Najrul and the secretary of the Election Commission secretariat Akhtar Ahmed were also present at the press conference.

Referring to the investigation report, the press secretary said that the incident was not ‘sabotage’. The fire started in the northwest corner of the extended section of the courier shed due to an electrical arc short-circuit, between the cages of the DHL, RS, and SRK courier agencies. A team of specialists from Turkey, BUET experts, fire safety experts, and the CID forensic team confirmed the cause of the fire.

The report stated that there were 48 small iron cages designated for different courier agencies within the office area of the courier shed. Inside the office area of the shed, there were no fire alarms, smoke detectors, or sprinklers. There were no fire hydrants. Extremely flammable and hazardous materials—including rolls of cloth wrapped in polythene, chemicals, perfume and body spray bottles, electronic devices, batteries, and raw materials for medicines—were piled up haphazardly without any adherence to rules or precautions.

The report mentioned that the Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC) was not followed. The piled-up goods in the apron area (where aircraft are parked, refuelled, loaded-unloaded, boarded, and maintained) prevented fire service vehicles from reaching the site of the fire in the courier shed. Nearly 400 tons of goods accumulate daily in the apron area.

Additionally, there was no effective management or supervision of imported goods storage. There were no special safety measures for flammable or hazardous items. There is no permanent fire station for the protection of the BACCIC infrastructure.

The press secretary noted that the investigation revealed that after 2013, seven fires had occurred in this location. The civil aviation authority (BACCIC) had little institutional capacity to prevent or extinguish them.

Regarding responsibility, the investigation report stated that as the lessee of the courier shed and cargo shed, BACCIC failed to ensure proper safety and fire protection in the construction and management of the facility in accordance with building regulations. Even the part of the shed where the fire originated had been constructed without following any approved design.

The press secretary said that the investigation committee has recommended establishing an independent authority or operator to maintain and manage airport operations, moving away from the existing system. In this case, BACCIC would only function as a regulator. Additionally, BACCIC must take necessary measures, in coordination with the fire service and civil defence, to quickly set up a special-class fire station. Several other recommendations have also come up.

On 18 October around 2:30 pm, a major fire broke out at the cargo village complex of the airport. With nearly six and a half hours of effort from 37 units of 13 fire stations, the fire was brought under control. During this time, flight operations were suspended. A total of 35 people, including 25 members of the Ansar force, were injured while extinguishing the fire.