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Air Vice Marshal Md Mostafa Mahmood Siddiq, chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), has refused to take the blame for the blaze at the import cargo complex of Dhaka's Shahjalal International Airport.
Although the building belongs to the CAAB, operations inside are conducted by Biman Bangladesh Airlines, clearing and forwarding (C&F) agents, and customs authorities, he said at a media briefing on Tuesday, three days after the devastating fire.
While he attributed much of the responsibility to these three parties, particularly Biman, which handles ground operations, he refrained from assigning direct blame, saying it would be “premature” to do so before the investigation concludes.
The CAAB chief also expressed hope that the fire would not affect the airport’s rating under the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), reports bsdnews24.com.
According to Siddiq, the airport’s own fire unit responded within 30 seconds of the fire breaking out.
The unit’s state-of-the-art Rosenbauer Panther series vehicles rushed to the scene, but the trucks could not reach the source of the fire because large quantities of goods were piled up in the open space in front of the warehouse.
The infrastructure of the courier section, where the fire originated, was “very strong and sturdy”, he said.
Siddiq added the airport’s fire unit tried but failed to extinguish the blaze after breaking through the courier compartment’s door.
“Later, the entire complex was burnt down,” he said.
When asked who was responsible for removing the cargo that obstructed the firefighting vehicles, Siddiq said that Biman was in charge of ground handling, while the clearing and forwarding agents were responsible for cargo clearance.
“There are customs authorities there. They are responsible for managing these,” he said.
Although goods are supposed to be cleared from the cargo complex within 21 days, Siddiq said items often remain there for years.
“The fire extinguishing process has been hampered due to the accumulated goods,” he noted.
“Since the investigation is ongoing, it is not right to say anything before it is over. I do not want to point fingers at anyone,” he said.
When asked whether CAAB, as the regulatory body, would take responsibility for the fire, Siddiq replied: “Only the infrastructure is ours. They are managing everything about how and what will happen inside it. We have ensured that 140 fire extinguishers are kept there. We have been conducting regular fire drills following ICAO rules. Everything is here according to ICAO protocols.”
Siddiq said the fire broke out at 2:15pm in the courier section, but the Fire Service reported receiving the call at 2:30pm.
Asked about the 15-minute gap, he said: “I have to check.”
He also said he did not believe the fire would affect the airport’s international standing.
“I don’t think it will decrease,” he said.
“It remains to be seen what steps we have taken after that incident.”
The fire at Shahjalal’s import cargo village began on Saturday afternoon and was brought under control around 9pm after a joint effort by 37 units of the Fire Service, police, Ansar, RAB, APBN, Bangladesh Air Force, and Bangladesh Navy.
It took nearly 27 hours to fully extinguish the flames, which were finally put out on Sunday afternoon.