Boeing 777 QRH states at the third or fourth line of the cargo fire checklist (depending on whether it is a forward or aft cargo fire), and l quote...
Plan to land at the nearest suitable airport
No where doeas it say land ASAP.
Why? I don't know, but l suspect those folk at Boeing have a reason.
EK procedures do not say one way or the other that you enter a hold and talk to Ops when you have a problem.
The crew had an indication that the crisis was over. And one thing that is passed on to EK from Boeing is that if the system tells you something is on or off, then you know it's on or off, as the redundancies make sure there is no false alarms, supposedly!
And with the data link, it's not a bad idea to get on the phone to Ops and say "Did you see what just hppened here", and of course they would have, plus they may have further information that is just not available up front, that may help you out.
Then just as they were catching their breath, the indication returns. Could have still been on the phone.
What hppened next? They diverted and everyone is safe.
Well done Blokes.
A diversion straight away may well have been a lot of peoples choice here, however with not being there and not knowing the circumstances, like weather, MEL's, aircraft history, traffic, ATC both high level and terminal, notams etc, it's hard to say with any assurance that that would be the best decision or not.
It could happen to any one at any time, and l hope if it happens again that the same result unfolds - everyone is safe and well.
halas