The fire at a Coupang logistics center in Incheon was brought under initial control about 61 hours after it broke out. The blaze is expected to be the domestic logistics center fire that took the longest to bring under initial control. Combustible materials such as household goods were densely stacked along high-rise shelving across a space the size of four soccer fields, and with few windows and exterior openings, smoke and heat had difficulty escaping. Directly below the sixth floor where the fire broke out, hundreds of logistics robots equipped with lithium-ion batteries equivalent to about 20 electric vehicles were positioned, and the fire authorities' concentration of firefighting resources on preventing the fire from spreading to lower floors is also cited as a factor that delayed extinguishment.
On the 20th, fire authorities said they completed the initial containment of the fire at Coupang's No. 32 logistics center in Seongnam-dong, Seohae-gu, Incheon, at around 8 p.m. that day. This came about 61 hours after the first report was received at 6:54 a.m. on the 18th of this month, and the fire authorities mobilized 845 personnel and 239 pieces of equipment for the blaze. Fire authorities typically declare initial containment when they have brought the major flames under control at a fire scene and begin mopping up.
However, in preparation for embers remaining inside and the possibility of the fire spreading to the fifth floor, they plan to continue mop-up operations and safety inspections until the fire is fully extinguished. In fact, during the 2021 Icheon logistics center fire, initial containment was completed in 55 hours, but it took about 130 hours to fully put out the fire.
The initial point of ignition is estimated to be the right section of the sixth floor, based on the ramp used for vehicle entry and exit. The flames then spread to the left sections of the sixth and seventh floors. The floor area of the sixth floor is 28,329 square meters, about the size of four soccer fields.
Inside, combustible materials such as household goods, cardboard boxes, vinyl, and plastic were stacked at high density on high-rise shelving. The fire authorities explained that the structure itself, in which goods were densely stored layer upon layer, amplified the spread of the flames and made firefighting operations difficult. The flames spread horizontally and vertically along the gaps between shelves and stored goods. Water sprayed from outside had difficulty reaching the fire points deep inside, and even when the surface flames were brought under control, there was a high possibility that embers remaining inside the densely stored goods would reignite.
Firefighting facilities such as sprinklers and fire shutters were all found to have operated normally. However, in a large logistics center where combustible materials are concentrated in a wide space, when flames spread among high-rise shelving, firefighting facilities alone appear to have had limits in controlling the initial spread.
The structure, with few windows and exterior openings making it difficult to expel smoke and heat, also hindered extinguishment. As the internal temperature at one point exceeded 150 degrees and limited the entry of crews, the fire authorities used an excavator to demolish part of the exterior wall to carry out smoke ventilation. As they relied on defensive firefighting by spraying water from outside without being able to directly approach the fire point, it took time to reach initial containment.
The lithium-battery logistics robots on the fifth floor were also a major variable. Lithium-ion batteries can lead to thermal runaway when ignited and are difficult to extinguish with ordinary water-spraying methods alone. Judging that the fire could rapidly expand if the flames descended to the fifth floor, the fire authorities deployed crews to establish a defensive line. They also monitored the accumulation of heat inside in real time using thermal-imaging drones.
As such, large logistics centers, with combustible materials stacked at high density inside their wide and complex interiors and with difficulty expelling smoke and heat, often take a long time to extinguish. When even crew entry is restricted, the flames continue until most of the stored goods have burned, inevitably increasing property damage.
The time this fire took to reach initial containment was the longest among fires that have occurred at domestic logistics centers to date. The fire that previously held the record for the longest time to initial containment was at Coupang's Deokpyeong logistics center in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, which occurred in June 2021, five years ago. The Deokpyeong logistics center fire broke out at around 5:20 a.m. on June 17 and initial containment was completed at around 12:25 p.m. on the 19th, 55 hours later. The times to initial containment for the 2020 Korea Integrated Logistics Center fire in Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province, and the 2022 fire at a cold-storage warehouse construction site in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, were 21 hours and 16 hours, respectively.
According to the National Fire Data System of the National Fire Agency, warehouse facility fires increased from 1,184 cases in 2023 to 1,231 cases in 2024 and 1,353 cases last year. Property damage also soared from 105.4 billion won in 2023 to a record-high 453.2 billion won last year. This year as well, 97 billion won in damage had occurred as of the 19th of this month.
Experts point out that disaster-prevention standards must be supplemented in line with the growing scale and automation of logistics centers. "In large logistics warehouses, combustible materials are accumulated in large quantities, so if initial extinguishment fails, there is a high possibility that most of the stored goods inside will burn," said Ham Seung-hee, a professor in the Department of Fire and Disaster Prevention Engineering at the University of Seoul. "Fire safety measures must be supplemented to reflect the increase in high-density stacking, automation equipment, and battery use."
At the time of the fire, 121 people, including logistics center employees, evacuated on their own, and no casualties have been identified so far. However, two firefighters were transported to the hospital after inhaling smoke during firefighting operations or showing signs of exhaustion while carrying out safety-management activities at the scene.
On the 19th, Seohae-gu recommended closure of daycare centers and elementary schools near the fire scene that day, and also issued a resident evacuation order for shops and factories on the south side of Coupang within a 116-meter radius due to the risk of building collapse. Nearby residential areas, firefighters, and police officers were excluded from the evacuation.
The district held a situation assessment meeting chaired by the Seohae-gu district head, who serves as the head of the regional disaster and safety countermeasures headquarters, and lifted the evacuation order as of 11 p.m. that day.
As soon as the fire is completely extinguished, the fire authorities plan to form a joint investigation team together with the National Fire Agency, the National Fire Research Institute, and the Korea Electrical Safety Corporation to investigate the exact cause of the fire and the extent of the damage.
