The interior of the Incheon Coupang Logistics Center, where a massive fire was completely extinguished after about 109 hours, has been found to be in a state where safety cannot be secured upon entry due to collapsed and melted structures.

Kwak Chul-seung, head of the Rapid Disaster Response Team at the Korea Institute of Structural Engineers, stated yesterday (July 22) that "the interior was pitch black with overlapping layers of carbonized materials, and steel angles (metal shelves for storing goods) had collapsed in some areas," adding, "It was also confirmed that steel columns forming the mezzanine (multi-level storage structure) had melted."

On the afternoon of July 21, Director Kwak used a drone to inspect the interior of the 6th floor from a point connecting the ramp area (truck entrance and exit) and the logistics center at Coupang Logistics Center No. 32 in Seohae-gu's Seoknam-dong, the site of the fire.

The total gross floor area of the logistics center building is approximately 299,000 square meters, and the floor area of the 6th floor, where the fire first broke out, is about 28,000 square meters, equivalent to the size of four soccer fields.

Director Kwak explained, "I also took a look at the 7th floor of the logistics center (where the fire spread), and household goods and other items were completely burned and gone," adding, "On the 6th floor as well, internal stored goods had burned away, leaving nothing left."

He continued, "Since the exact condition of the ceiling of the 6th floor and the floor of the 7th floor cannot be known, special caution is required," and stated, "Today, I sent a technical review opinion containing the opinion that caution should be exercised upon entry to the firefighting authorities."

He further urged, "When entering the 6th floor, you must watch out for falling debris from the ceiling," and added, "For the 7th floor, where the floor condition cannot be checked, personnel must first enter the 6th floor and create a floor plan based on the locations of structures before entering."

However, Director Kwak assessed the possibility of the Coupang logistics center building collapsing as low.

Previously, Seohae-gu, Incheon, issued an evacuation order for nearby residents at 11:00 PM on July 19 due to concerns of a collapse, but lifted it after the initial fire suppression.

Director Kwak said, "All the items stored on the 7th floor have burned down, so the load applied to the lower part is not significant," and added, "Although the function of the slab (concrete floor panel) has been partially lost, we believe that a situation like a collapse will not occur."

Based on the experts' opinions, firefighting authorities plan to approach the site with utmost caution during the upcoming investigation process, including joint forensic examinations.

In the case of the collapse of the Seoul Seosomun Overpass, which occurred on May 26 and resulted in three deaths, the incident also took place while experts were conducting a safety inspection.

A firefighting official stated, "It is still difficult to consider the risk of collapse as completely resolved," and added, "During the upcoming joint forensic examination process, we plan to enter only after first verifying safety."

Previously, the firefighting authorities formed a central joint fire investigation team consisting of about 30 people from 8 agencies and are discussing the schedule and method of the joint forensic examination.

While the exact cause and starting point of the fire have not yet been revealed, various speculations are emerging based on the initial report details and internal closed-circuit (CCTV) footage.

According to the report transcript secured by the office of Democratic Party lawmaker Yoon Kun-young, the initial reporter of the fire stated, "A fire broke out on the 1st floor of the mezzanine on the 6th floor of the logistics center."

Recently, some media outlets reported that they acquired related CCTV footage, stating, "The starting point of the fire was a box placed on a shelf on the 2nd floor of the mezzanine on the 6th floor of the logistics center."