Fire at Coupang Logistics Center in Incheon Leaves Interior Filled with Black Smoke, Hampering Efforts

[Financial News] A fire at Coupang's logistics center in Incheon has prompted fire authorities to issue a national fire mobilization order, but they are struggling to bring it under control because of household goods inside the building and thick smoke. As items stored on three-tier shelves continue to burn, black smoke has filled the interior.
According to the Incheon Fire Headquarters, the fire broke out at around 6:54 a.m. on the sixth floor of Coupang Logistics Center No. 32 in Seoknam-dong, Seohae District, Incheon, on the 18th.
Fire authorities issued a Level 1 response at 9:15 a.m. and escalated it to Level 2 at around 12:25 p.m. The National Fire Agency later issued a national fire mobilization order at 3:15 p.m. to mount an all-out response to the warehouse fire. A Level 1 response means all personnel from the local fire station are dispatched, while a Level 2 response is an alert that mobilizes personnel and equipment from five to six nearby fire stations.
At present, 21 units, including aerial ladder trucks and unmanned fire robots sent from five cities and provinces, including Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, North Chungcheong Province, South Chungcheong Province, and Gangwon Province, along with 142 pieces of equipment and 386 personnel, including firefighters, have been deployed.
However, because burning household goods are releasing black smoke, it is expected to take considerable time to fully extinguish the blaze. A total of 121 people, including center staff, evacuated on their own when the fire broke out, but a firefighter in his 40s inhaled smoke during the suppression effort and was taken to a hospital for treatment. He reportedly inhaled the smoke while driving an aerial ladder truck. The building where the fire broke out is an eight-story reinforced concrete structure with a total floor area of 299,000 square meters.
kjh0109@fnnews.com Kwon Jun-ho Reporter