Late-night fire at Dhaka airport cargo village quickly contained
Swift response by airport and fire service teams prevents disruption to flight operations
ATT Correspondent 
A fire that broke out in the cargo village complex of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport late Friday night was brought under control within minutes, preventing any disruption to airport operations.
The blaze erupted in the courier operations area near Gate No. 9 of the cargo village at around 11:24pm, prompting an immediate emergency response from airport-based firefighting units.
According to Fire Service Control Room Duty Officer Rashed Bin Khalid, two firefighting units rushed to the scene and successfully contained the fire by 11:38pm, just 14 minutes after it was reported.
Dhaka airport Executive Director Group Captain Ragib Samad said the fire originated inside and adjacent to a container in the airport's courier operation zone.
"As soon as the information was received at around 11:25pm, firefighting teams from the airport's Fire Service and Civil Defence, along with personnel from the nearby Air Force Base AK Khandaker, responded immediately and brought the situation under control," he said.
He added that the fire had been fully extinguished, although authorities were continuing inspections to ensure there were no hidden hotspots or risks of reignition.
"The fire is now fully under control. However, we are examining whether there is any concealed source of fire or possibility of the blaze reigniting," he said.
The cause of the fire and the extent of the damage were not immediately known.
Airport authorities confirmed that flight operations remained normal throughout the incident, with no impact on arrivals, departures or cargo handling activities.
The latest incident comes less than a year after a major fire broke out at the airport's cargo village on October 18 last year, raising renewed concerns over fire safety in the facility.
