Bangladesh’s vital garment industry is counting the vast costs of a fire that gutted the cargo complex at Bangladesh’s main airport over the weekend, with some estimates that it could set the country back more than $1bn (£750m).
The fire tore through storage areas used for imported raw materials, ready-to-export apparel, and product samples at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Saturday afternoon.
At least 37 firefighting units were deployed to douse the blaze, which was only completely extinguished after 27 hours. The fire prompted authorities to suspend all operations at the airport until evening on Saturday.
The army, navy, and air force were also pressed into joining the efforts to douse the flames.
Mohammad Hatem, president of the Exporters Association of Bangladesh, said a preliminary assessment found that the blaze caused a loss of $1bn. “The direct loss is from the goods burnt in the fire, but this is not the only damage. The raw materials destroyed in the blaze will prevent the production of export-ready goods, which will lead to even greater losses,” he told reporters on Monday.
“We are sending urgent messages to our members to determine the extent of the damage, but a full picture is yet to emerge. The actual scale of loss can only be known after a transparent and complete investigation,” he added.
Inamul Haq Khan, senior vice-president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), said the incident would have a long-term impact on the country’s export trade. “High-value goods and urgent air shipments have been destroyed – including garments prepared for shipment, raw materials for production, and, most importantly, product samples,” he said.
“These samples are essential for securing new buyers and expanding orders. Losing them means our members may miss out on future opportunities.”
The airport cargo village is one of Bangladesh’s busiest logistics hubs, handling more than 600 metric tons of dry cargo daily – a figure that doubles during the October to December peak season.
“Every day, around 200 to 250 factories send their products by air,” Mr Khan said. “Given that scale, the financial impact is significant.”
The incident marks the third major fire reported in Bangladesh last week. A fire last Tuesday at a garment factory and an adjacent chemical warehouse in Dhaka killed at least 16 people and injured others. On Thursday, another burned down a seven-storey garment factory building in an export processing zone in Chittagong.
Bangladesh is the world’s second-largest exporter of apparel after China. The sector, which supplies major global retailers such as Walmart, H&M, and Gap, employs about 4 million workers and generates around $40bn (£29.8bn) – more than a tenth of the country’s GDP.
