Firefighting Efforts Struggle as "Spraying Water Is Useless" and Internal Access Remains Difficult

[Anchor]

The fire at the Coupang logistics center in Incheon, which began on Saturday morning, has been burning for over 60 hours. Although firefighting resources from across the country have been fully mobilized, the main blaze has yet to be brought under control. For our 8 O'Clock News today, July 20, we begin at the scene of the Coupang logistics center fire.

Reporter Kim Gyu-ri, I can see quite a number of fire vehicles behind you. What is the current status of the firefighting efforts?

[Reporter]

Yes, here at the scene, thick smoke and a pungent burning smell continue to indicate that something is still burning.

Fire authorities have mobilized all available equipment, including ladder trucks, to continuously spray water onto the 6th and 7th floors of the logistics center, where the fire remains uncontained.

After evacuating local residents last night due to concerns about a potential building collapse, fire authorities are currently focusing their efforts on preventing the fire from spreading to the 5th floor below.

This is because there are hundreds of warehouse robots on the 5th floor that use lithium batteries. The total battery capacity of these robots is estimated to be equivalent to that of 20 electric vehicles.

[Voice] Heo Seok-gyeong / Chief of Incheon Seo-bu Fire Station: "(If the fire spreads to the 5th floor) the entire building could be engulfed in flames rapidly, so our personnel have entered the building to block the spread of the fire."

[Anchor]

It has been three days since the fire started. Why is it so difficult to extinguish?

[Reporter]

Simply put, no matter how much water is sprayed from the outside, it does not reach the flames, and the smoke and heat cannot escape from the inside.

The 6th floor, where the fire started, is technically one floor, but it is actually built in what is known as a mezzanine structure. Taking advantage of the high ceilings typical of logistics centers, the space is divided into two or three levels to store goods efficiently.

If it were a single-level space, high-pressure fire extinguishing agents could reach the center through the gaps between the ceiling and the goods, but the stored items are blocking the way.

Due to this complex structure, the smoke and heat generated by the fire only accumulate and cannot easily escape, making it difficult for firefighters to enter.

Fire authorities expect that it will still take a significant amount of time to bring the main fire under control.

(Video reporting: Kim Seung-tae, Kim Han-gyeol | Video editing: Park Ji-in | Design: Jeon Yu-geun, Choi Jae-young)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.