A fire that burned for three days at a Coupang Inc. logistics center in Incheon has finally been brought under control. Fire authorities completed initial suppression after 61 hours and have since downgraded their response level to Level 1, meaning the situation can now be managed within local fire resources.
The Incheon Fire Department announced Tuesday that it had lowered its response level to Level 1 at around 1:57 p.m. — approximately 76 hours after the initial Level 1 alert was first issued on Saturday.
Authorities had issued a national fire mobilization order Saturday afternoon, calling in firefighting personnel and equipment from across the country, including from Gangwon Province, to maintain a heightened response capacity.
The critical phase of the fire is now over. Authorities mobilized 845 firefighters and other personnel along with 239 pieces of equipment, including pump trucks, and achieved initial suppression at around 8 p.m. Monday. The fire, which broke out at approximately 6:54 a.m. Saturday, was brought under control after 61 hours.
Once the fire inside the logistics center is fully extinguished, authorities plan to form a joint investigation team — comprising the National Fire Agency, the National Fire Research Institute and the Korea Electrical Safety Corporation — to determine the exact cause and assess the full extent of the damage.
20ki@heraldcorp.com
