▲ Fire ladder trucks cease water discharge as they fight a fire at the Coupang fulfillment center in Seoknam-dong, Seo-gu, Incheon, on the afternoon of the 21st.
A fire that broke out at the Coupang fulfillment center in Incheon has been completely extinguished four days later.
A joint inspection by relevant authorities to investigate the cause of the fire and the scale of the damage is scheduled to take place after reviewing internal safety and other factors.
The Incheon Fire Headquarters announced today (the 22nd) that around 8:35 PM, the fire at the Coupang No. 32 Fulfillment Center in Seoknam-dong, Seo-gu, was completely extinguished, and Response Stage 1, which mobilized all personnel from the jurisdiction's fire station, was lifted.
This came approximately 109 hours and 40 minutes after the fire initially broke out, and 48 hours and 35 minutes after the main blaze was contained and initial containment was declared.
The 109 hours and 40 minutes it took to fully extinguish the fire marks the second-longest duration for a logistics center fire in South Korea.
The longest recorded time was approximately 130 hours during the fire at Coupang's Deokpyeong Fulfillment Center in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, in 2021.
While this fire took 61 hours to reach initial containment, surpassing the 55 hours recorded at the Deokpyeong Fulfillment Center, the cleanup of remaining embers proceeded more quickly, resulting in a shorter total time to full extinguishment than the Deokpyeong fire.
The fire started around 6:54 AM on the 18th on the 6th floor of the Coupang fulfillment center—an 8-story building above ground with a total floor area of 299,000 square meters—and spread to the upper floors.
Following the outbreak, fire authorities successively issued Level 1 and Level 2 response alerts, subsequently issuing a National Fire Mobilization Order that mobilized personnel and equipment from eight neighboring cities and provinces to concentrate all efforts on firefighting operations.
A total of 239 pieces of equipment and 845 firefighters were mobilized for the operation.
Although firefighting efforts faced difficulties due to large amounts of combustible materials and a complex building structure, authorities succeeded in achieving initial containment around 8:00 PM on the 20th, 61 hours after the fire started.
When the fire broke out, 121 people, including fulfillment center employees, evacuated on their own and were uninjured, but two firefighters received medical treatment for smoke inhalation and exhaustion.
At one point, due to concerns over potential building collapse, an evacuation order was issued for areas within a 116-meter radius of the fulfillment center's ramp zone, which was later lifted following initial containment.
In connection with this, fire authorities installed collapse warning devices at three major points in the building to prepare for the worst-case scenario.
Now that the fire has been completely extinguished, fire authorities plan to operate a central joint fire investigation team consisting of about 30 people from eight agencies to investigate the specific cause of the ignition, structural vulnerabilities, and the scale of the damage.
In particular, precision inspections and fire reconstruction experiments focusing on logistics facilities, electrical systems, and stored goods will be conducted on the 6th floor of the fulfillment center where the fire started.
However, as the fire persisted for a long time, full-scale inspection activities are expected to begin after ensuring structural stability and other safety measures.
An official from the fire authorities stated, "Related agencies are scheduled to gather tomorrow (the 23rd) to discuss a joint inspection plan," adding, "Even though the fire has been completely extinguished, inspections are expected to take place after confirming that there are no other risks."
The police are also expected to launch a full-scale investigation into the fire.
Previously, the police formed the "Seoknam-dong Coupang Fulfillment Center Fire Investigation Task Force," consisting of the 1st Metropolitan Crime Investigation Unit and the Serious Accident Investigation Unit under the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.