It began, as disasters often do, with a small flicker.
At 2:34 pm on Saturday, smoke began curling out from the cargo village of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) — Bangladesh’s busiest aviation hub and a lifeline for millions of travellers and exporters. Within minutes, that smoke had turned into a towering black column above the northern sky of Dhaka. From Uttara to Mirpur, people stopped in the streets and on rooftops, phones raised, filming what they feared might be a catastrophe in the making.
By the evening, however, that same skyline was clear again — a testament not only to the nation’s firefighters but to a rare display of coordinated crisis management. The inferno was contained before nightfall, no lives were lost, and flight operations were set to resume by 9:00 pm.
The fire that stopped a city
The blaze broke out in the cargo village near Gate No. 8, a high-security area where export and import goods are stored before being loaded onto aircraft. Witnesses described hearing a dull pop — perhaps an electrical fault — followed by a sudden flash and a rush of heat.
Within moments, plumes of acrid smoke had engulfed the area. The fire spread rapidly through stored packaging materials, feeding on cardboard, plastic and flammable chemicals often found in cargo storage.
For a brief moment, panic rippled through the airport perimeter. Rumours flew on social media — was it the terminal? Were passengers trapped? Was air traffic affected?
A response on a war footing
What followed was one of the largest emergency mobilisations Dhaka has seen in years.
The Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence first dispatched nine units to the scene. Within the hour, 37 firefighting teams were operating simultaneously — dousing flames, creating water corridors, and preventing the inferno from leaping into adjoining warehouses.
Reinforcements poured in from every wing of the state.
The Air Force deployed two specialised firefighting units.
Army and Navy emergency teams joined with logistical support.
RAB and BGB personnel formed human cordons.
Over 5,000 police officers from six stations managed traffic and crowds.
“People were frightened, and there was chaos at first,” said Additional DIG Mohidul Islam, the Deputy Commissioner of Uttara Division. “But within half an hour, order was restored. Passengers with valid tickets were allowed in through two gates. Our job was to keep calm — and keep the airport running.”
Leadership on the ground
By early evening, Civil Aviation and Tourism Adviser Sheikh Bashir Uddin arrived at the site. His convoy stopped short of the affected zone; he walked in, surrounded by smoke and exhausted firefighters.
“The fire is now completely under control,” he told reporters. “All flights will resume from 9:00 pm. We are ensuring no disruption for passengers.”
His words came as relief — both to travellers waiting anxiously in terminal lounges and to the thousands watching live coverage across the country.
For a nation whose exports depend on air freight, even a single night of shutdown could have rippled through the economy. HSIA handles over 90 percent of Bangladesh’s international cargo — from readymade garments to electronics and pharmaceuticals.
Inside the operation
Eyewitnesses described scenes that felt almost cinematic. Fire engines lined the Airport Road in disciplined formation. Drones hovered above, mapping hotspots in real time. A remote-controlled firefighting robot — recently acquired by the fire service — was deployed to attack flames in areas too dangerous for human crews.
“Every minute mattered,” said one firefighter, his face streaked with soot. “We fought the heat, the smoke, and the wind. But the biggest enemy was time.”
By sunset, the orange glow had faded. The air, once heavy with the smell of burning goods, turned cool. No structural collapse occurred. No secondary explosion. And crucially, runways, control towers and terminals remained untouched.
Questions begin
Even as normality returned to the airport, questions began to surface. What caused the blaze in one of the most secure and monitored areas of the country?
The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism has ordered a full investigation — focusing on possible electrical faults, storage of flammable goods, and gaps in fire safety compliance.
“We will identify the cause and ensure such an incident cannot happen again,” a ministry spokesperson said. “Every cargo-handling procedure will be reviewed with the Airport Security Force and Civil Aviation Authority.”
The fire has reignited debate over infrastructure and preparedness at one of South Asia’s fastest-growing airports. Calls have grown for automated fire suppression systems, digital smoke detection networks, and regular safety audits — not just at HSIA but across all major facilities.
Relief and reflection
By nightfall, the hum of normality had returned. Airport staff walked briskly across floodlit tarmac. Runway lights blinked back to life. And at 9:02 pm, the first post-fire flight — a Dhaka-bound Biman aircraft — taxied slowly down the runway and lifted into the dark sky.
For those who battled the blaze, it was a quiet victory. For the rest of the country, it was a reminder — that beneath the smoke and panic, Bangladesh’s first responders, soldiers, and civil workers still rise to the moment when it matters most.
As the city exhaled, one firefighter summed it up best: “We saved the airport today. But the next time, we must be ready before the fire starts.”