By The Straits Times | Created at 2026-07-20 00:46:12 | Updated at 2026-08-03 17:59:59
2 weeks ago
INCHEON - Authorities issued evacuation orders around Coupang’s Incheon logistics centre late on July 19 as a major warehouse fire burned out of control, dashing an earlier target to contain the blaze by 11pm local time and stoking concerns the eight‑story building could collapse.
Incheon’s Seohae-gu sent an emergency text alert at around 11pm that read: “Due to the risk of partial building collapse from the Coupang fire, residents within a 116m radius, including nearby shops and offices, are asked to evacuate immediately.”
Officials said the collapse risk zone covers commercial buildings and factories south of the logistics centre but no residential areas.
The fire broke out at 6.54am on July 18 on the sixth floor of the 299,000 sq m fulfillment centre in Seohae-gu and spread to the seventh floor through exterior walls, according to the Incheon Fire Headquarters.
All 121 workers inside evacuated safely. One firefighter was hospitalised for smoke inhalation and another was treated for exhaustion.
Earlier on July 19, fire officials said they aimed to bring the main blaze under control by around 11pm, based on progress made as of 7am.
But the fire’s behavior diverged from expectations, with accumulated heat and thick smoke preventing crews from entering the building and making it effectively impossible to meet that target.
Firefighters attempted to open access routes in the afternoon by sending two excavators into the ramp area that links to the sixth floor – the main truck entry and exit – to demolish parts of the structure and secure vents and water‑spray points.
Crews also tore down sections of the exterior wall using aerial ladder and articulating boom trucks, while helicopters carried out water drops before sunset.
Even after the demolition work, however, heavy smoke continued to billow from inside and interior temperatures failed to drop enough to allow entry.
“Sending firefighters inside is only possible when overall safety conditions are in place,” a fire official said. “High temperatures that have built up over a long period remain, and ventilating just some sections doesn’t mean smoke across the entire building will clear.”
A nationwide mobilisation order has brought in manpower and equipment from eight regional jurisdictions. As of the night of July 19, 228 units of equipment – including aerial ladder and articulating boom trucks and helicopters – and about 721 personnel, including firefighters and police officers, were deployed at the scene.
The warehouse’s three‑tier racking system and large volumes of combustible household goods on the sixth floor have made it difficult to reduce interior heat and secure visibility, officials said.
Local authorities also moved to limit disruption in nearby neighbourhoods. The district recommended a one‑day closure on July 20 for 31 daycare centres in the vicinity and said a nearby elementary school had decided to suspend classes for the day, while maintaining emergency childcare to minimise inconvenience for parents.
The size of the Incheon facility – more than twice the floor area of Coupang’s Deokpyeong logistics centre in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, which burned in 2021 – has raised expectations that the current fire will take considerable time to fully extinguish.
The 2021 blaze required three days to bring under initial control and six days for complete suppression.
Coupang said it was cooperating with the firefighting operation and providing support to residents and emergency crews.
“The safety of firefighters remains our top priority,” Chung Jong‑chul, chief executive officer of Coupang Fulfillment Services, said in a statement.
The company said it has supplied bedding and meals for people staying at a temporary shelter and is providing food and daily necessities to firefighters at the scene. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
