A massive fire broke out on Saturday afternoon (October 18) at the cargo village of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka, forcing authorities to suspend all flight operations.

The blaze started around 2:15 pm, officials said. Within minutes, firefighters rushed to the scene, and by 2:34 pm, nine units of the Fire Service and Civil Defence were working to control the flames. The operation later expanded to 31 units, with 5 more on their way, according to Fire Service duty officer Lima Khanam.

The Bangladesh Navy and Air Force joined the firefighting effort alongside the airport’s own fire service and the Civil Aviation Authority, the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.

The airport authority temporarily suspended aircraft movements after the fire spread through part of the cargo village, said Masudul Hasan Masud, spokesperson for the airport’s executive director.

Several flights were disrupted due to the suspension. A Batik Air flight to Kuala Lumpur and an IndiGo flight to Mumbai were waiting on the taxiway, while a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight from Saidpur was diverted to Chattogram. A US-Bangla Airlines flight from Chattogram to Dhaka returned to its departure point shortly after takeoff.

The cause of the fire remains unknown, and no casualties have been reported so far. Firefighters and military personnel were continuing efforts to bring the situation under control as of late afternoon.