Coupang Logistics Center Fire Burns for Over 29 Hours; Containment Targeted for 11 P.M.

[Anchor]

A fire that broke out at a Coupang logistics center in Incheon early yesterday (July 18) is still burning. Firefighting efforts have been difficult due to the large amount of flammable household goods stored on the affected floors. Authorities expect to bring the main blaze under control by 11 p.m. tonight.

Reporter Dong Eunyeong has the story.

[Reporter]

Black smoke billows out of the building as firefighters continuously spray water at the structure.

The fire, which began at the Coupang logistics center in Incheon at 6:54 a.m. yesterday, has been burning for nearly 29 hours.

[Kim Young-hwan/Local Resident: There was so much smoke that the sky in that area turned black. It was difficult to breathe.]

The fire started on the 6th floor and spread to the 7th floor along the exterior wall. The floors contain large quantities of flammable household goods, making the firefighting operations difficult.

[Jeon Jae-in/Disaster Response Chief, Incheon Seobu Fire Station: The logistics center where the fire occurred is a large warehouse with a three-tier rack structure. A large amount of combustible material is stored there, and the high-temperature, dense smoke has made it extremely difficult to secure visibility inside and for our personnel to enter.]

The fire authorities, who issued a national firefighting mobilization order nine hours after the fire began, are focusing on preventing the flames from spreading to other floors.

At one point early this morning, an order was issued for all firefighters to withdraw from the building.

Operations resumed after an analysis determined that the risk of structural collapse was low, given the characteristics of the logistics center building.

All 121 employees who were inside the building at the time of the fire evacuated safely, and there were no casualties. However, two firefighters were transported to a hospital for treatment due to smoke inhalation and exhaustion during the firefighting process.

Fire authorities estimate that they will be able to bring the main blaze under control around 11 p.m. tonight.

(Video reporting: Choi Dae-woong, Video editing: Lee Sang-min)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.