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A devastating fire ravaged Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport cargo section Saturday, shutting down flight operations at the main gateway to Bangladesh, after two consecutive factory fires.
Incidentally, the airport blaze falls in a chain having occurred hot on the heels of two garment-factory fires in Dhaka's Mirpur and Chittagong export-processing zone.
An eyewitness account said the HSIA cargo village virtually turned into an inferno in the fire.
The incident, which left at least 25 people injured, including fire-fighters and Ansar, also led to complete disruption to flights to and from the prime airport of Bangladesh, and a huge amount of economic losses is feared as the imported merchandise burnt.
Flight operations resumed at 9:00pm, as the ravaging fire was brought under control after more than six hours of battle.
In a press briefing at 10:00 PM, Director General of Fire Service and Civil Defence, Brigadier General Muhammad Zahed Kamal, stated that a total of 37 units were deployed to bring the fire under control at the Cargo Village of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA).
He confirmed that the fire was fully extinguished by 9:18 PM and assured the public that there was no longer any risk of it spreading. The blaze was confined to the import cargo section of the village, while the export cargo areas remained unaffected.
Brigadier General Kamal also stated that all international and domestic flight operations resumed. He added that personnel from the Bangladesh Army, Police, Air Force, and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were involved in the firefighting operation.
"After extinguishing the fire, we will hand over responsibility to the Civil Aviation Authority," he noted.
In response to the incident, the Internal Resources Division (IRD) of the Ministry of Finance has formed a five-member committee to assess the extent of damage. The committee, headed by Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman Patwary, Joint Secretary of the IRD, has been tasked with submitting a comprehensive report to the government detailing the overall losses caused by the fire.
Meanwhile, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has taken special measures to ensure that import and export activities at the Dhaka Customs House continue without disruption, according to an official press release.
However, business leaders have expressed concern over the potential economic impact of the incident. Speaking to The Financial Express, International Air Express Association of Bangladesh President Kabir Ahmed Khan said, "It's too early to determine the full extent of the losses, but the damage could exceed US$1.0 billion, including both direct and indirect losses."
The fire broke out at the cargo village near the gate no. eight of the airport at around 2.15pm, Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) media wing officer Talha Bin Jasim said.
"A total of 37 firefighting units of 13 fire stations gradually joined the operation," he said, adding that same units of other agencies, including the Civil Aviation, Army, Navy and Air Force, also joined in the fire combat.
Video footage provided by the FSCD showed billows of heavy smoke above the burning fire having created a catastrophic scene.
The part of the cargo village which caught fire is used for the storage of imported goods ahead of giving them clearance. The fire fast spread through the entire building of the Import Cargo Complex next to Gate 8 of the airport. The fire havoc was so severe that black smokes were seen from different parts of the city.
Enthusiastic onlookers crowded near the cargo village on flames. However, the air-force personnel were requesting them to move away from the spot. Members of various law-enforcing agencies, including RAB, police, and BGB, were deployed at the scene to maintain law and order.
Civil Aviation and Tourism Adviser Sk. Bashir Uddin, FSCD Director-General (DG) Brigadier -General Muhammad Jahed Kamal also rushed in the spot.
Sk. Bashir Uddin, also the Commerce Adviser, told reporters that the fire was brought under control.
He added that export-cargo village remained safe, and that only goods stored in the import -cargo village were damaged in the fire.
Responding to a query, he said it wasn't wise to make immediate comment whether the incident was an act of "sabotage or merely an accident".
A cargo village of an international airport is the dedicated logistics zone where imported and exported goods are processed. Several regulatory bodies, including customs, aviation, and airlines, coordinate to inspect and clear all cargo shipments.
The two-storey Cargo Village of HSIA is approximately 300- meter long and is located in the northeast corner of the airport.
Some planes in the HSIA hangar, a place where the aircraft are kept, were also transported to a safe place some distance away to avoid any untoward incident immediately after the fire broke out.
A leader of Dhaka Customs Agents Association (DCAA) said the fire broke out at the courier section of the cargo village.
A vice-president of the Association, Khairul Alam Bhuiyan Mithu, said the Cargo Village had been operating regularly until 2:00pm on Saturday.
"There were still many workers and people, including members of Ansar, there," he told the reporters.
Ansar evacuated everyone, saying that chemicals, including ammunition, were stored in the warehouse which might cause an explosion, said Mr Mithu.
He said that there was a chemical warehouse on one side of the courier warehouse. Many chemicals brought for various industries, including the country's garment sector.
He claimed, "When the fire -service vehicles came to put out the fire, they stood at gate number 8 for a long time. They were unable to get in due to complications related to permits."
The access roads to the airport were also temporarily closed. There was heavy traffic congestion on the road from the main part of Dhaka-Uttara and other areas.
Businesses related to export-import, Clearing and Forwarding (C&F) agent, freight forwarders also crowded the spot.
A representative of Synthia Trade International, Aminul Islam, told the FE that around 15 to 16 shipments of imported items of their firm were completely gutted in the fire.
He feared incurring financial losses worth Tk 60 million.
"My two shipments of imported goods were gutted completely due to fire," he said.
A director of a C&F agent company, Md Rabiul Islam, told the FE that they were waiting for getting clearance of the varieties of products like readymade garments, mobile covers, machinery parts and light accessories.
"I am afraid all have perished by now," he said in a dismal voice, adding that the estimated loss might amount to Tk 330 million.
Meanwhile, the HSIA authority announced a temporary suspension of all flight operations due to the fire. Dhaka-bound flights were diverted to Chittagong and Sylhet International Airports.
HSIA spokesperson Masudul Hasan Masud said flight operations were temporarily suspended after the fire broke out at the cargo village.
The authorities have also announced that some Dhaka-bound flights will be diverted to alternative routes for safety reasons. In addition, some international flights waiting to depart from Dhaka were also reportedly stuck at the airport.
Of the HSIA-bound flights, eight landed in Chattogram and three flights in Sylhet international airport. Due to the flight disruptions many passengers were stranded not only at HSIA but also in Chattogram and Sylhet.
Two Dhaka-bound flights from Chennai and Delhi had to land on Kolkata Airport till the filing of the report until 8.30 am.
Meanwhile, business leaders expressed concern over the airport fire.
Contacted, Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) President Mohammad Hatem told the FE that the fire incident in the cargo village highlights "how insecure such a highly sensitive area is".
He mentioned that exporters had been raising concerns for years about their goods being kept in open areas.
He urges the government to launch an investigation to determine whether the incident was an accident or "part of a conspiracy", especially since several fire incidents have occurred recently in both local and export-oriented garment factories.
Referring to the recent fire in Chittagong EPZ, he said questions had been raised among entrepreneurs about the pattern of such incidents. These repeated fire outbreaks could send a negative message to international buyers and cause them concern.
Mr Hatem notes that most users of the cargo village are entrepreneurs from the apparel industry. They use the facility for importing relatively lighter machinery and electronic products, as well as for shipping ready-made garments and samples.
International courier services also operate through the cargo village, using it to send and receive customer documents and parcels by air.
In addition, pharmaceutical companies use the facility to import raw materials, while agro-product exporters-especially those exporting vegetables and other perishable goods-rely on it for air shipments.
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