The 'Mezzanine' Maze Still Harboring Fire Risks: A Repeat of the Tragedy from 5 Years Ago

[Anchor]

It took six days to extinguish the fire at the Coupang logistics center in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, five years ago, a blaze that claimed the life of a firefighter. As major fires continue to occur for similar reasons, criticism is mounting that nothing has changed.

Reporter Je Hui-won has the story.

[Reporter]

This is footage filmed inside another Coupang logistics center in Incheon in June of the year before last.

Between the stacks of goods, a yellow staircase is visible. Climbing these stairs leads to a multi-level space that Coupang employees refer to as the "mezzanine floor."

While the structure maximizes space utilization to store more goods in the same area, it is inevitably vulnerable to fire.

[Person A/Employee at Incheon Coupang Logistics Center: When I worked there, I would occasionally smell something burning, like electrical components. When I asked the manager, 'Isn't this a burning smell?' they would say, 'It's nothing special.']

On-site workers stated that the structure is difficult to navigate in the event of a fire, noting that the aisles are packed with shelves and are only 1.3 meters wide, making it easy for temporary workers to get lost.

[Jung Sung-yong/Head of the National Logistics Center Branch of the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers' Union: It is a maze-like structure. Even workers who have been there for a long time find it difficult to identify emergency exits and escape routes.]

On-site workers consistently argue that the Incheon logistics center where the recent fire occurred has a similar structure, making the risk of fire inherently high.

[Person B/Employee at Incheon Coupang Logistics Center: The fire risk is high. Electric fans run 24 hours a day. I have been working here for four years, and it doesn't seem like anything has really been improved so far.]

At the time of the fire at the Coupang Deokpyeong logistics center in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, five years ago—where fire compartment regulations under the Building Act were relaxed due to the installation of automated equipment and mezzanine floors—approximately 16 million items acted as kindling. The fire consumed the entire building and was extinguished only after 136 hours, resulting in the death of one firefighter and over 300 billion won in damages.

Amid growing criticism over the repetition of similar tragedies, Coupang did not provide any response to SBS's questions regarding what safety equipment, if any, had been reinforced at the Incheon logistics center since the fire five years ago.

Reported by Kim Seung-tae and Kim Han-gyeol | Video by Jang Hyun-ki | Graphics by Seo Seung-hyun
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.