Packed Three-Tier Shelves and Maze-Like Interiors: Why Warehouse Fires Spread Instantly

[Anchor]

Fires at logistics centers often escalate into major blazes like this. Five years ago, another fire at a Coupang logistics center took six days to be fully extinguished. At that time, goods stacked in layers acted as fuel for the fire.

Reporter Park Jaehyeon examines why similar fires continue to occur.

[Reporter]

The 2021 fire at the Coupang Deokpyeong Logistics Center resulted in the entire building being gutted.

At the time, internal CCTV footage captured sparks emerging from one side of a display rack, which then spread in an instant.

Various household goods stacked on the shelves acted as kindling, causing the fire to spread rapidly.

In particular, the structure of logistics centers, which involves packing products too densely, further fueled the flames.

The 6th floor of the Coupang Incheon Logistics Center, where the fire started yesterday (July 18), also features a multi-level structure, known as a mezzanine. This design splits a high-ceiling floor into what looks like three separate levels, allowing for even denser placement of display racks.

[Lee Yong-jae / Professor, Department of Fire Safety Management, Kyungmin University: Because there are many tiers and many racks, there is a high fire load. Since there is so much combustible material, it is extremely difficult to extinguish the fire.]

The complex structure also makes firefighting operations dangerous and slow for responders.

[Heo Seok-gyeong / Chief of Incheon Seobu Fire Station: As the rack warehouse collapsed, the passageway width was only about 1.3 meters, and with the racks continuously connected, it is very difficult for our personnel to enter and navigate through them.]

It appears the internal sprinkler system may not have functioned as intended either.

Logistics centers are required to install sprinklers every 3 meters in height, but if a fire starts on a lower shelf, it is not easy to extinguish even if the sprinklers are activated.

[Gong Ha-sung / Professor, Department of Fire and Disaster Prevention, Woosuk University: Because of the combustible materials stacked on the shelves, even if the sprinkler heads above are activated, the water is blocked by the materials and cannot be properly sprayed onto the source of the fire.]

Coupang released a statement saying, "We will actively support the firefighting activities underway at the site and fully cooperate with the investigations by relevant authorities."

The company added that it plans to minimize delivery delays by distributing customer order volumes to other logistics centers.

(Reported by Choi Dae-woong | Video by Lee Hong-myeong | Graphics by Park Cheon-woong and Jang Chae-woo)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.