‘Didn’t find any fire detection or protection system inside’

The fire that swept through the cargo village of Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) has been declared fully extinguished at 4:55pm today. The fire began around 2:30pm on Saturday in the Customs House area of the cargo complex.Briefing reporters at Dhaka airport, Lt Col Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, director (operations and maintenance) of Fire Service and Civil Defence, said the absence of basic fire safety measures had made the operation unusually difficult."We did not find...
The fire that swept through the cargo village of Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) has been declared fully extinguished at 4:55pm today. The fire began around 2:30pm on Saturday in the Customs House area of the cargo complex.
Briefing reporters at Dhaka airport, Lt Col Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, director (operations and maintenance) of Fire Service and Civil Defence, said the absence of basic fire safety measures had made the operation unusually difficult.
"We did not find any active or passive fire detection or protection system inside. If such systems had been in place, this accident might not have happened," he said.
He explained that the cargo section was divided into small steel compartments packed with combustible materials, which caused the fire to spread rapidly. "The occupancy load was very high. These confined and congested spaces, along with hazardous substances, made our work extremely challenging," he added.
Firefighters had to cut through steel partitions to access the affected areas, while residual heat from the steel structures continued to radiate even after the flames were out.
Tajul confirmed that four fire service units will remain deployed as a precaution since smoke is still visible due to trapped heat.
Responding to questions about delays, he said there had been no obstruction or mismanagement. "We reached the scene in due time and faced no delays or resistance from any authority," he noted.
An investigation committee has been formed to determine the cause of the fire and assess the effectiveness of the airport's internal firefighting systems. "We will verify whether the hydrants and suppression systems were functional at the time," Tajul said.
On structural damage, he said the fire caused cracks in several steel columns, making the structure somewhat risky, though not dangerously unstable. Authorities have been urged to conduct an immediate safety assessment.
Regarding environmental hazards, Tajul said some chemical reactions may have occurred as the fire burned through pharmaceutical and medical goods, but no serious air contamination was detected.
He confirmed that two firefighters and several Ansar members sustained minor injuries, though there were no major casualties.