Number of Logistics Centers Reaches 5,949 Nationwide, Raising Fire Risks

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Large-scale fires like this are not unique to Coupang. As competition in delivery services intensifies, logistics centers have become larger and more complex. However, while their scale has grown, they have become increasingly vulnerable to fire.

Reporter Baegun has the story.

[Reporter]

There are a total of 5,949 registered logistics warehouses across the country.

Excluding facilities such as ports and cold storage, 745 of these are large-scale warehouses with a total floor area of 10,000 square meters or more, and this number is increasing every year.

Since 2024, Coupang has also been investing 3 trillion won to build additional logistics warehouses in nine regions nationwide.

Large logistics warehouses are at high risk for major fires because they are packed with flammable packaging materials and goods, and the increase in electrical equipment due to automation adds to the danger.

[Lee Young-ju / Professor, Department of Fire and Disaster Prevention, Kyungil University: Because there are more combustible materials when a fire breaks out, if initial suppression fails, the possibility of the fire spreading and escalating into a large-scale disaster is high.]

The rack structure, where shelves are stacked in multiple layers to maximize storage capacity, makes firefighting difficult.

Since 2024, the government has strengthened standards, requiring warehouses with rack structures to install large-drop sprinklers, which have a higher discharge rate than standard models, for every 3 meters of shelf height.

However, 7 out of 10 logistics warehouses nationwide were registered before 2024, when the standards were tightened. The Incheon logistics center that caught fire was also exempt from these requirements as it received its building permit in 2020.

Starting in 2028, the installation of arc-fault circuit interrupters will be mandatory for newly built or renovated logistics warehouses with a contracted power of 100 kilowatts or more.

This system prevents fires by cutting off power when sparks are detected, but this also does not apply to existing logistics warehouses.

Experts suggest that authorities should consider retroactively applying the updated standards, taking into account costs and construction difficulty.

[Gong Ha-sung / Professor, Department of Fire and Disaster Prevention, Woosuk University: It is not a very difficult task in terms of construction because it only involves removing the earth leakage circuit breaker and replacing it with an arc-fault circuit interrupter. It should be applied retroactively to all logistics warehouses.]

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport formed a task force on July 20 to improve fire safety regulations for logistics facilities and has begun drafting measures covering everything from design to operational management.

(Video Editing: Kim Jong-tae, Graphics: Kim Min-young, Lee So-jung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.