Investigators probing a fire at the cargo area of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport have described the incident as “suspicious” and said they found several inconsistencies, prompting the questioning of five employees of courier company DHL.
Officials from multiple airport-related agencies confirmed that the employees had been under questioning since Saturday morning over discrepancies identified during the investigation.
Airport Executive Director Group Captain S M Ragib Samad said authorities were examining the source of the fire and investigating whether it had been deliberately set.
“An investigation is underway. We are looking into where the fire originated. At the same time, whether anyone intentionally started the fire is also being examined,” he said.
Fire Service Media Cell official Talha Bin Jasim said the agency was conducting a separate investigation.
“The incident is also being investigated by the Fire Service. The cause of the fire can only be determined after the investigation,” he told Dhaka Tribune.
The latest fire broke out at around 11:30pm on Friday in the airport’s cargo area, less than eight months after a major blaze at the same location.
According to two officials involved in the investigation, both speaking on condition of anonymity, the October 18, 2025 fire originated from a DHL courier shed. The latest fire also started in the same shed.
They said the section of the DHL shed adjacent to the hangar where the fire originated was outside CCTV camera coverage. An electric pillar stood in front of the affected area, with several wires scattered beneath it.
They questioned whether the fire could have been caused by a short circuit, noting that such an incident would typically produce visible sparks and likely disrupt power supply in the area. Neither occurred at the time of the fire, they said.
Officials also reported finding several cigarettes butts a short distance from the point of origin. However, they noted that smoking is prohibited in the area and argued that a cigarette-related fire would normally begin with visible smoke and spread gradually. Instead, they said, the blaze erupted suddenly and spread rapidly.
Analysis of CCTV footage showed a DHL employee near the scene shortly before the fire broke out. Investigators said the employee had hung a mosquito net and was resting there. The footage showed him watching the fire for about one-and-a-half to two minutes after it started before calling others when the flames spread.
Investigators said no one was expected to be in that area at night for smoking, raising further questions about how the fire started and spread.
“The matter is highly mysterious,” one official said. “At first glance, it appears more likely that the fire may have been caused by someone. That is why several individuals are being questioned.”
Officials said the DHL container housed various goods, including rolls of fabric, paper products, rubber items, plastic materials and other merchandise. The goods were scheduled to be auctioned on Sunday, but the fire occurred before the planned auction, raising additional questions.
Investigators said the fact that both fires originated from DHL facilities has intensified scrutiny of the company's fire safety practices.
According to officials familiar with the probe, the repeated incidents suggest either serious negligence in fire safety measures or the possibility that the fires were deliberately set. They also warned that such incidents could damage the airport’s international reputation.
The latest fire was quickly brought under control by personnel from the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) and the Fire Service, preventing major losses, officials said.
Investigators said statements provided by the DHL employees are being cross-checked against evidence gathered at the scene, and a clearer picture of the incident is expected within the next few days.
Repeated attempts to contact DHL senior official Mosaddek Hossain for comment on the investigators’ claims were unsuccessful. He did not answer phone calls or respond to text messages.
On Oct. 18, 2025, a fire swept through the airport’s cargo zone. A total of 37 firefighting units from 13 Fire Service stations, along with members of the Bangladesh Army and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), worked to bring the blaze under control. Business leaders later claimed that goods worth several hundred crore taka had been damaged in the incident.