Monday, 20 October, 2025
The nation is once again reeling from a string of catastrophic fires — the latest at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport’s Cargo Village — that have shaken public confidence in safety and security systems across Bangladesh. The inferno that erupted around 2:15pm on Saturday paralysed air traffic at the country’s busiest gateway for hours, grounding flights and spreading panic among passengers and airport staff.
Over 36 firefighting units, assisted by members of the Armed Forces, Navy, Air Force, and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), battled the flames for nearly seven hours before bringing the situation under control. Though no casualties were reported, the blaze crippled operations at a critical national facility, prompting urgent questions: was this another case of institutional negligence — or something more sinister?
The incident comes amid growing political turmoil, following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who, from exile, has reportedly instructed her party loyalists to “resist” the interim government. Since that call, streets across the country have been teeming with agitation — with various groups occupying key intersections, issuing irrational demands, and even storming the Secretariat. Against this backdrop, the timing of major fires at sensitive installations cannot be dismissed as mere coincidence.
Only days earlier, a devastating factory fire in Mirpur claimed at least 16 lives after a suspected chemical explosion tore through a garment unit and an adjoining warehouse. Witnesses offered conflicting accounts of how the blaze began, but investigators found strong indications of gross safety violations and unregulated storage of flammable materials. Toxic fumes continued to linger in the area even two days later, a grim reminder of the country’s lax enforcement of industrial safety rules.
Similarly, on October 16, a fire broke out at Adams Caps and Textile Limited in the Chittagong Export Processing Zone (CEPZ). It took 25 firefighting units and military assistance to contain the flames. The burnt factory was later declared structurally unsafe. Investigations are under way by both the Fire Service and CEPZ authorities — yet, as with many previous cases, the public remains sceptical about whether these probes will yield accountability or fade into bureaucratic oblivion.
These repeated disasters — occurring within weeks of each other — have naturally raised suspicions of organised sabotage aimed at discrediting the interim administration or creating instability ahead of the upcoming general election, scheduled for early February under the July National Charter. Political analysts warn that rival factions may be exploiting the current unrest, deepening divisions over contentious issues such as the Proportional Representation (PR) system and the Charter’s implementation.
Last year alone, Bangladesh recorded 26,659 fire incidents, killing 140 people, including firefighters. The Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) attributes most fires to electrical short circuits, gas leaks, and careless handling of stoves and cigarette butts. Yet these explanations no longer suffice when strategic economic hubs — like airports and export zones — are repeatedly targeted within such a short span.
Dhaka’s long and painful history of preventable fire disasters — from the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse to the 2019 Chawkbazar fire and the 2021 Narayanganj factory tragedy — reflects a systemic culture of negligence, weak oversight, and institutional corruption. Safety audits are irregular, fire exits are often locked, and chemical warehouses operate within residential areas with impunity. Despite hundreds of “safety drives,” little changes beyond public outrage and temporary crackdowns.
The Fire Service, too, operates under severe constraints — limited manpower, outdated equipment, inadequate hydrant systems, and nightmarish traffic congestion that delays response times. Although the agency conducted over 18,000 fire drills and 15,000 awareness events in 2024, such measures remain tokenistic without structural reform and political will. But negligence alone cannot explain the suspicious clustering of recent fires at critical national facilities. Investigators must probe whether these incidents were acts of political sabotage, orchestrated to undermine the interim authority and destabilise the electoral roadmap. If confirmed, such acts would represent not only an assault on public safety but also an attempt to derail Bangladesh’s fragile democratic transition.
The interim government must respond decisively — through transparent investigations, enhanced security at key infrastructures, and swift enforcement of fire and safety codes. It must also ensure that political elements attempting to sow chaos under the guise of protest are held accountable, regardless of affiliation.
For too long, Bangladesh has lived with the deadly consequences of institutional negligence and political opportunism. The fires at the airport, Mirpur, and CEPZ serve as a stark warning: without urgent action, both lives and national stability remain dangerously combustible.
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The nation is once again reeling from a string of catastrophic fires — the latest at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport’s Cargo Village — that have shaken public confidence in safety and security systems across Bangladesh. The inferno that erupted around 2:15pm on Saturday paralysed air traffic at the country’s busiest gateway for hours, grounding flights and spreading panic among passengers and airport staff.
Over 36 firefighting units, assisted by members of the Armed Forces, Navy, Air Force, and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), battled the flames for nearly seven hours before bringing the situation under control. Though no casualties were reported, the blaze crippled operations at a critical national facility, prompting urgent questions: was this another case of institutional negligence — or something more sinister?
The incident comes amid growing political turmoil, following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who, from exile, has reportedly instructed her party loyalists to “resist” the interim government. Since that call, streets across the country have been teeming with agitation — with various groups occupying key intersections, issuing irrational demands, and even storming the Secretariat. Against this backdrop, the timing of major fires at sensitive installations cannot be dismissed as mere coincidence.
Only days earlier, a devastating factory fire in Mirpur claimed at least 16 lives after a suspected chemical explosion tore through a garment unit and an adjoining warehouse. Witnesses offered conflicting accounts of how the blaze began, but investigators found strong indications of gross safety violations and unregulated storage of flammable materials. Toxic fumes continued to linger in the area even two days later, a grim reminder of the country’s lax enforcement of industrial safety rules.
Similarly, on October 16, a fire broke out at Adams Caps and Textile Limited in the Chittagong Export Processing Zone (CEPZ). It took 25 firefighting units and military assistance to contain the flames. The burnt factory was later declared structurally unsafe. Investigations are under way by both the Fire Service and CEPZ authorities — yet, as with many previous cases, the public remains sceptical about whether these probes will yield accountability or fade into bureaucratic oblivion.
These repeated disasters — occurring within weeks of each other — have naturally raised suspicions of organised sabotage aimed at discrediting the interim administration or creating instability ahead of the upcoming general election, scheduled for early February under the July National Charter. Political analysts warn that rival factions may be exploiting the current unrest, deepening divisions over contentious issues such as the Proportional Representation (PR) system and the Charter’s implementation.
Last year alone, Bangladesh recorded 26,659 fire incidents, killing 140 people, including firefighters. The Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) attributes most fires to electrical short circuits, gas leaks, and careless handling of stoves and cigarette butts. Yet these explanations no longer suffice when strategic economic hubs — like airports and export zones — are repeatedly targeted within such a short span.
Dhaka’s long and painful history of preventable fire disasters — from the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse to the 2019 Chawkbazar fire and the 2021 Narayanganj factory tragedy — reflects a systemic culture of negligence, weak oversight, and institutional corruption. Safety audits are irregular, fire exits are often locked, and chemical warehouses operate within residential areas with impunity. Despite hundreds of “safety drives,” little changes beyond public outrage and temporary crackdowns.
The Fire Service, too, operates under severe constraints — limited manpower, outdated equipment, inadequate hydrant systems, and nightmarish traffic congestion that delays response times. Although the agency conducted over 18,000 fire drills and 15,000 awareness events in 2024, such measures remain tokenistic without structural reform and political will. But negligence alone cannot explain the suspicious clustering of recent fires at critical national facilities. Investigators must probe whether these incidents were acts of political sabotage, orchestrated to undermine the interim authority and destabilise the electoral roadmap. If confirmed, such acts would represent not only an assault on public safety but also an attempt to derail Bangladesh’s fragile democratic transition.
The interim government must respond decisively — through transparent investigations, enhanced security at key infrastructures, and swift enforcement of fire and safety codes. It must also ensure that political elements attempting to sow chaos under the guise of protest are held accountable, regardless of affiliation.
For too long, Bangladesh has lived with the deadly consequences of institutional negligence and political opportunism. The fires at the airport, Mirpur, and CEPZ serve as a stark warning: without urgent action, both lives and national stability remain dangerously combustible.
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