A massive fire erupted on Saturday in the Cargo Village area of Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. The authorities suspended all flight operations following the fire. The fire broke out around 2.30 pm in the airport’s cargo village that is used to store imported goods. According to Bangladeshi media reports, by 3.45 pm, airport executive director Md Masudul Hasan Masud confirmed the incident. He added that emergency teams had been deployed and containment efforts were in progress.

Fire Service and Civil Defence Media Cell Talha Bin Zasim said that 28 firefighting units were already at the scene battling the blaze with more teams being dispatched to assist. An airport spokesperson told local media that all their aircraft are “confirmed safe”. “Further updates will be shared as the situation unfolds,” the official said.

Two Air Force firefighting units, the Bangladesh Civil Aviation Authority, the Fire Service and the Navy are working jointly to douse the blaze, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. The extent of damage and the cause are yet to be determined.

Bangladesh has witnessed its third major fire incident in just five days. An eight-storey factory in the Chittagong Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) was completely gutted by flames on Thursday. However, no casualties were reported. Earlier, on Tuesday, a devastating fire at a four-storey garment factory and an adjoining chemical warehouse in Dhaka claimed the lives of 16 workers and left several others injured.