Fire at Incheon Coupang logistics center enters third day; evacuation order issued over collapse risk

[Financial News, Incheon = Han Gap-su] The fire at the Incheon Coupang logistics center has entered its third day, and concerns are growing that the building could collapse. Fire authorities have maintained a fire line and ordered the evacuation of shops and factories within a 116-meter radius of the ramp area, judging that the structure may give way. With the national fire mobilization order still in place, 812 firefighters and 231 pieces of equipment have been deployed to the scene.
According to the Incheon Fire Headquarters on the 20th, the fire that started at around 6:54 a.m. on the 18th on the sixth floor of the Coupang 32 logistics center in Seoknam-dong, West District, has remained uncontrolled for more than 47 hours as of 6 a.m. that day.
On the morning of the 19th, the second day of the fire, authorities had estimated that initial containment would be reached around 11 p.m. that day. However, the blaze continued to rage past that point, as large amounts of flammable material were stored inside the center and the interior layout was highly complex.
The firefighting team carried out demolition work the previous day, tearing down the point where the ramp area meets the sixth-floor building to vent smoke trapped inside the logistics center and secure space to spray water. To prevent the fire from spreading to SK Incheon Petrochem, which is close to the scene, aerial and articulated ladder trucks were also moved forward.
Residents were evacuated in advance. After a situation assessment meeting, the West District issued an evacuation order at 11 p.m. on the 19th for shops and factories within a 116-meter radius of the ramp area. The order applies only to businesses in the southern section, while residential areas and police and fire personnel working at the scene were excluded.
At temporary shelters at Sinhyeon Elementary School and Sinhyeonbuk Elementary School, 46 households with 75 people and 43 households with 93 people, respectively, were taking refuge, for a total of 89 households and 168 people. They were not subject to the evacuation order, but came to the shelters on their own out of concern over smoke and dust damage. The West District also recommended that 31 daycare centers and nearby elementary schools close for the day on the 20th.
This is not the first time a logistics center fire has lasted for days. In June 2021, a fire at Coupang's Deokpyeong logistics center in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, took six days to extinguish completely, and a fire rescue chief died during the operation. At the time, the large floor area, massive quantities of flammable goods, and complex stacking structure were cited as factors that slowed the response. Fire authorities' decision to combine demolition work with evacuation orders this time is seen as a measure that takes both the characteristics of such large-scale warehouse fires and the risk of collapse into account.
A fire official said, "It is raining at the scene, but the rainwater is unlikely to reach the inside of the logistics center, so it will not significantly help with firefighting," adding, "We are responding while reviewing safety from multiple angles."

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