Smoke at Dhaka Airport traced to earlier fire debris

Dhaka: Smoke at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport briefly triggered fears of a fresh fire at a courier depot previously damaged by a blaze, but airport officials said the smoke seen on the night of July 25 did not stem from a new outbreak.

Speaking to journalists on the night of July 25, the airport's Executive Director Group Captain S.M. Ragib Samad said debris removal was underway at the courier depot damaged in an earlier fire.

Workers from a contracted company were cutting and dismantling metal structures, cages and other discarded materials using electric cutting equipment, he said.

Samad explained that residual heat remained trapped within debris as workers used electric tools to cut through the damaged materials. The trapped heat produced smoke, leading many onlookers to assume another fire had started.

Fire Service Headquarters Media Cell official Anwarul Islam Dolon, however, told local media that a garbage pile caught fire near Gate No. 8. Firefighters brought the blaze under control quickly.

According to the Fire Service, the incident was reported at 21:20 on July 25. Two units from the airport fire station arrived at 21:23 and immediately began firefighting operations.