Initial Suppression Achieved After 61 Hours... The Alarming Coupang Fire

The Longest Initial Suppression Among Logistics Center Fires

Firefighting Water Fails to Reach Inside... Full Extinguishment Expected to Take Time

"Need for Electrical Accident Prevention and Sprinkler System Improvement"

On the morning of the 21st, fire extinguishing work was underway at the Coupang logistics center in Seohae-gu, Incheon. The fire department declared the fire under control after 61 hours since the fire broke out around 8 p.m. the previous day. Yonhap News

On the fourth day since the fire broke out at Coupang's logistics center in Incheon, on July 21, the fire authorities were working on extinguishing residual flames to completely put out the fire. The fire department and police plan to conduct a joint investigation, keeping all potential causes on the table—including electrical fires—while referring to the cause of the Dekpyeong logistics center fire at Coupang five years ago.

The Incheon Fire Department declared the initial suppression of the fire at Coupang’s Center 32 in Seoknam-dong, Seohae-gu, Incheon, around 8 p.m. the previous day. This came 61 hours after the fire erupted and has thus become the logistics center fire in Korea that took the longest time to reach initial suppression.

As residual fires remained inside the building, the fire department continued its response under the second-level emergency protocol. At 9:40 a.m. on this day, authorities partially lifted the National Fire Mobilization Order so that only six fire trucks from Seoul, nine from South Gyeonggi, six from North Gyeonggi, and nine from Jung-Gu Headquarters remained on site, while 24 fire units brought in from Sejong, Gangwon, North Chungcheong, and South Chungcheong were ordered to withdraw. Firefighting resources were being redeployed accordingly.

As of this day, a total of 239 fire equipment units and 845 personnel (including 507 firefighters, 299 police officers, and 39 staff from related organizations) had been mobilized for the extinguishing efforts. The evacuation order for residents within a 116-meter radius around the scene was lifted as of 11 p.m. the previous day.

However, due to the high ceilings and complex internal structure typical of logistics centers, it is expected that full extinguishment will take a considerable amount of time. It remains difficult for firefighters to enter the site, and the water sprayed from outside does not easily reach the source of the fire.

This fire first started on the 6th floor of the building at 6:54 a.m. on July 18, then spread to the 7th floor. Firefighters focused on ensuring that the flames did not reach the 5th floor, where hundreds of logistics robots equipped with lithium batteries were located. Experts noted that, had the fire occurred during working hours or started in the lower floors, there could have been multiple casualties. Over 2,000 employees work at this logistics center, which has one underground and eight above-ground floors, spanning a total floor area of 299,000 square meters—equivalent to the size of 40 soccer fields.

On the morning of the 21st, residual fire extinguishing work is being carried out at the Coupang logistics center in Seohae-gu, Incheon. The fire department declared the initial suppression after controlling the major fire 61 hours after the fire broke out around 8 p.m. the previous day. Yonhap News

Once the cleanup of residual flames is complete, the fire authorities plan to form a joint investigation team with the National Fire Research Institute and Korea Electrical Safety Corporation to determine the cause and extent of the damage. The police organized a task force, including members of the Metropolitan Crime Investigation Division and the Serious Accident Investigation Division from the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency. Their investigation will consider the 2021 fire at Coupang’s Deokpyeong logistics center as a reference. At that time, police found that delayed initial suppression was caused by the disaster prevention office staff disabling fire alarms six times, and charges for violating fire-related laws were applied.

According to the National Fire Agency, between 2021 and June of this year, there were a total of 7,353 logistics warehouse fires nationwide in Korea, with around 1,000 large and small warehouse fires occurring each year.

Kong Ha-seong, a professor at Woosuk University’s Department of Fire and Disaster Protection, stated, “One of the main causes of logistics center fires is electrical fire. Because a large number of electrical installations operate 24 hours a day, they can become overloaded or develop faulty connections, so preventive measures for electrical facilities must be strengthened.” He also emphasized, “It is urgent to improve sprinkler systems. If necessary, sprinkler heads should be appropriately installed even inside shelves, taking into account the type and height of stored goods and the shelf structure.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.