Coupang warehouse fire continues to spread despite all-out firefighting efforts 

The fire at a Coupang logistics center in Incheon has remained out of control as of 10 a.m. Monday, more than 51 hours after it initially broke out.

Flames were visible outside Coupang’s No. 32 logistics center in Seongnam-dong, Seohae District, Incheon, in the morning hours. Thick black smoke filled the sky above the area, while additional fire engines and other emergency vehicles lined the cordoned-off roads.

Local authorities ordered the evacuation of nearby factories and commercial buildings over concerns about a possible structural collapse, while schools in the area suspended classes.

Despite an all-out firefighting effort and overnight rain, the flames continued to spread for their third day and reached another section of the building. The rain failed to reach the building's interior and did little to aid firefighting efforts.

The fire in the section where the blaze first broke out was largely under control. However, firefighters had yet to contain the fire in the adjacent warehouse section, where the blaze spread the previous day. The on-site command post was also relocated closer to the affected area.

“The logistics center is a single building, but it consists of two warehouse sections,” a fire official said. “The fire spread into the neighboring warehouse, which caused the blaze to grow.”

The fire broke out at about 6:54 a.m. Saturday on the sixth floor of the building. Eight hours later, the fire authorities issued a statewide mobilization order to marshal firefighting resources from across the country.

As of Monday morning, 231 fire vehicles and 812 personnel, including firefighters and police officers, had been deployed to the scene. Entering the third day of firefighting operations, crews on Sunday afternoon demolished part of the ramp area used by cargo trucks to secure ventilation and create access for water streams.

Firefighters have struggled to enter the building because of its complex layout and dense black smoke filling the interior. They have managed to reach the fifth floor — directly below where the fire started — to prevent the flames from spreading further.

The Incheon logistics center has a total floor area of 299,000 square meters (3,218,410 square feet) across eight stories. It has more than twice the floor area of the Deokpyeong logistics center in Icheon, Gyeonggi, which spans 127,100 square meters and has four aboveground floors and two basement levels.

The Deokpyeong logistics center was destroyed by a fire in 2021, which took six days to extinguish it completely. It burned 16.2 million stored items and killed a firefighter.

Given the larger size of the Incheon facility, its fire could take even longer to put out, officials say.

Fire authorities are monitoring the risk of a structural collapse and the safety of emergency crews. Officials from the Korea Structural Engineers Association, who have been assessing the site, said the building does not appear to face an imminent risk of collapse.

All 121 people inside the logistics center evacuated safely on the day the fire broke out, and no serious injuries were reported. Two firefighters were injured during the response and received hospital treatment.

Authorities also recommended that 31 nearby daycare centers suspend operations, while local schools were closed.

Residents affected by smoke and airborne debris, though not subject to mandatory evacuation orders, are staying at temporary shelters set up at Incheon Sinhyeon Elementary School and Incheon Sinhyeonbuk Elementary School.

“A total of 168 people are currently staying at the two shelters,” a Seohae District official said. “We may open additional shelters depending on how the situation develops.”

BY BYUN MIN-CHUL [[email protected]]