Firefighters brought a blaze at a Coupang logistics center in Incheon's Seohaegu under control after 61 hours.
The Incheon Fire Department said Monday evening that the fire at the Coupang No. 32 logistics center in Seoknam-dong, Seohaegu, was brought under initial control at 8 p.m. The fire broke out at around 6:54 a.m. Saturday and burned for three days.
Fire authorities deployed 231 pieces of equipment and 812 personnel, including firefighters, on Monday — the third consecutive night of firefighting operations — to finally contain the blaze. Crews are maintaining their response posture as they work to extinguish remaining hot spots.
A fire authority official said that once the fire is fully extinguished, the National Fire Agency, the National Fire Research Institute and the Korea Electrical Safety Corporation plan to form a joint investigation team to probe the cause of the fire and assess the full extent of the damage.
No casualties were reported. When the fire broke out, 121 people, including warehouse employees, evacuated on their own. Firefighters faced significant difficulties, however, due to the large volume of flammable materials stored inside and the building's complex structure.
The Incheon logistics center has eight above-ground floors and a total floor area of 299,000 square meters. It ranks among the three largest Coupang warehouses in the country.
Seohaegu district authorities issued an evacuation order for nearby residents on Sunday, citing the risk of building collapse. About 200 people are staying at temporary shelters.
After the fire broke out, authorities issued Level 1 and Level 2 emergency alerts before ordering a national fire mobilization, calling in personnel and equipment from eight neighboring cities and provinces for an all-out response. As firefighting operations dragged on, crews installed collapse warning devices at three key points in the building as a precaution against a worst-case scenario.
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