Monday, 20 October, 2025
The devastating blaze that erupted at the cargo village of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Saturday was finally extinguished after nearly 27 hours of relentless firefighting, officials said on Sunday afternoon.
Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, director (Operations and Maintenance) of the Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD), confirmed that the flames were completely doused around 4:55 pm. He briefed reporters at the site, praising the tireless efforts of firefighters who battled the inferno through the night.
“Had there been an active detection or protection system in place, it wouldn’t have taken this long to put out the fire,” he noted, adding that “the large volume of steel inside the structure caused significant heat retention, prolonging the blaze.”
According to Chowdhury, a total of 23 fire service units were deployed in the massive operation, working in shifts to contain and eventually extinguish the flames.
Discussing the aftermath, the FSCD director warned that the cargo village building remains structurally unsafe.
“The structure is definitely risky,” he said. “The interior temperature was extremely high — the fire burned for nearly a full day. Standard construction materials are not designed to withstand such prolonged exposure to heat.”
He said visible cracks were found inside, including on structural columns.
“While the building is risky, it’s not extremely dangerous. If it were too hazardous, we wouldn't have entered. We hope the building authority will conduct a proper assessment to determine the extent of the risk,” Tajul Islam added.
He also mentioned that a crack developed inside the building and that chemicals stored in the area posed some environmental risk, though not a severe one.
Two firefighters were injured while working to contain the blaze.
Although the fire was fully doused, four FSCD units will remain deployed at the site as a precaution, officials said.
The storage area was highly congested and packed with flammable materials, which hampered the firefighting efforts, the FSCD director noted.
Comments
The devastating blaze that erupted at the cargo village of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Saturday was finally extinguished after nearly 27 hours of relentless firefighting, officials said on Sunday afternoon.
Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, director (Operations and Maintenance) of the Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD), confirmed that the flames were completely doused around 4:55 pm. He briefed reporters at the site, praising the tireless efforts of firefighters who battled the inferno through the night.
“Had there been an active detection or protection system in place, it wouldn’t have taken this long to put out the fire,” he noted, adding that “the large volume of steel inside the structure caused significant heat retention, prolonging the blaze.”
According to Chowdhury, a total of 23 fire service units were deployed in the massive operation, working in shifts to contain and eventually extinguish the flames.
Discussing the aftermath, the FSCD director warned that the cargo village building remains structurally unsafe.
“The structure is definitely risky,” he said. “The interior temperature was extremely high — the fire burned for nearly a full day. Standard construction materials are not designed to withstand such prolonged exposure to heat.”
He said visible cracks were found inside, including on structural columns.
“While the building is risky, it’s not extremely dangerous. If it were too hazardous, we wouldn't have entered. We hope the building authority will conduct a proper assessment to determine the extent of the risk,” Tajul Islam added.
He also mentioned that a crack developed inside the building and that chemicals stored in the area posed some environmental risk, though not a severe one.
Two firefighters were injured while working to contain the blaze.
Although the fire was fully doused, four FSCD units will remain deployed at the site as a precaution, officials said.
The storage area was highly congested and packed with flammable materials, which hampered the firefighting efforts, the FSCD director noted.
Comments
