Fire Authorities and Police Collect Batteries Suspected as Cause of Coupang Incheon Logistics Center Fire

Joint On-Site Inspection Conducted for Three and a Half Hours on July 28
Batteries Worth Eight Vinyl Packs and Metal Items Collected
"All Possibilities, Including Short Circuits, to Be Investigated"

On July 28, fire authorities and the police collected household goods, including batteries suspected to be the cause of the fire, during their on-site inspection at the Coupang 32 Logistics Center in Seohae-gu, Incheon, following a major blaze.

On the 28th, police and fire officials, including the National Forensic Service, are waiting to conduct a joint investigation to determine the cause of the fire at Coupang 32 Logistics Center in Seohae-gu, Incheon. The Coupang 32 Logistics Center experienced a major fire at 6:54 a.m. on the 18th, which was extinguished on the afternoon of the 22nd after approximately 109 hours and 40 minutes. Photo by Jin-Hyung Kang, July 28, 2026

From 10 a.m., about 35 personnel from 10 different organizations—including the Incheon Fire Headquarters, Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency Forensic Unit, National Forensic Service, and Korea Electrical Safety Corporation—conducted a joint on-site inspection at the Coupang logistics center for approximately three and a half hours.

The fire authorities collected items such as batteries amounting to eight vinyl packs and household goods containing metal from the second floor of the mezzanine on the sixth floor of the logistics center, which is presumed to be the fire’s point of origin.

Lee Kiyeol, Head of Fire Investigation at the National Fire Agency, said during a briefing on the joint inspection, “We focused our excavation on the second floor of the sixth-floor mezzanine that was visible in the internal CCTV footage,” and added, “The collected evidence has been sent to the National Forensic Service for detailed analysis.”

He continued, “Inside, there were also food items and home appliances such as cordless vacuum cleaners with rechargeable batteries, but due to the severe damage at the scene, we could not verify the specific household goods present,” adding, “We plan to check the exact items by receiving the inventory list held by Coupang.”

Kim Sooyoung, a researcher at the National Fire Research Institute, said, “This joint inspection mainly focused on two shelves presumed to be the point of origin,” adding, “We plan to look into not only electrical causes such as those related to batteries, but also other possible factors such as short circuits.”

Previously, the initial report of this fire stated, “The fire started on the first floor of the sixth-floor mezzanine in the logistics center.”

The Coupang logistics center where the fire broke out is an eight-story building above ground with a total floor area of around 299,000 square meters. The floor area on the sixth floor—the initial point of ignition—is approximately 28,000 square meters, equivalent to four football fields.

On July 28, police and fire officials, including the National Forensic Service, were waiting to conduct a joint inspection to determine the cause of the fire at Coupang 32 Logistics Center in Seohae-gu, Incheon. The Coupang 32 Logistics Center fire occurred at 6:54 a.m. on the 18th and was extinguished in the afternoon of the 22nd, after about 109 hours and 40 minutes. 2026.7.28 Photo by Kang Jinhyung

This joint inspection took place six days after the fire was extinguished, following a safety assessment by experts confirming the building’s structural stability. Before the inspection, two experts conducted a safety check on the second floor of the sixth-floor mezzanine, presumed to be the ignition point, for about 30 minutes.

Kwak Cheolseung, head of the Disaster Response Rapid Task Force at the Korea Society of Structural Engineers, said, “We mainly inspected the pathways and surrounding areas for the on-site inspection,” adding, “The ceiling on the sixth floor was severely damaged, and debris from fallen concrete covered the floor.”

He also stated, “The sixth floor is designed to withstand about two tons of weight per square meter,” and added, “It appeared there were no major issues in conducting the inspection.”

Additionally, the police have summoned Coupang officials as witnesses and are taking steps to secure internal CCTV footage capturing the moment the fire broke out.

The Coupang 32 Logistics Center experienced a major fire at around 6:54 a.m. on the 18th. The fire was fully extinguished on the afternoon of the 22nd—after 109 hours and over 40 minutes—following a nationwide mobilization of firefighting resources.

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