Fire at Incheon Coupang Inc warehouse expected to be contained by 11 p.m., no collapse risk: officials

Fire authorities have launched a coordinated ground-and-air firefighting operation to bring a blaze at a Coupang Inc logistics center in Incheon under control.

Jeon Jae-in, head of disaster response at the Incheon West Fire Station, told reporters at the scene Sunday that the affected warehouse features a three-tier rack structure packed with large quantities of flammable materials, making it difficult for firefighters to see inside or enter due to dense, high-temperature smoke. He said 28 specialized vehicles — including four Incheon aerial and articulated ladder trucks and 24 units of support equipment from other cities and provinces — have been positioned around the building to conduct water discharge operations on the upper floors, while fire helicopters are concentrating water drops on the seventh floor, where the fire has spread.

Since around 3:14 a.m. Sunday, fire authorities have been running a high-capacity foam discharge system to suppress the main body of the fire. Water is being supplied from SK Incheon Petrochemical's retention pond.

Authorities said they expect to achieve initial containment late Sunday night. Heo Seok-gyeong, chief of the Incheon West Fire Station, acknowledged that pinpointing an exact time was difficult given the many variables involved, but said officials had roughly estimated a point 16 hours after 7 a.m. Sunday — putting initial containment at around 11 p.m.

On the risk of structural collapse, Heo said reports of such a danger had been exaggerated, explaining that an evacuation order had been issued as the fire grew — a standard precaution based on fire behavior — and that it had not been an emergency escape situation. Kwak Dong-sam, chairman of the Korean Association of Structural Engineers, who attended the briefing, said there was no concern about the building collapsing, adding that the priority was to stop the fire from spreading further as quickly as possible.

The fire broke out at around 6:54 a.m. Saturday at the Coupang Inc logistics center in Seoknam-dong, Seohaegu, and firefighting operations were still under way Sunday morning — some 27 hours after the blaze began. Authorities have maintained a national fire mobilization order, deploying 221 pieces of equipment and 575 firefighters and police officers to the scene. The logistics center has a total floor area of 299,000 square meters and stands eight stories above ground; the fire started on the sixth floor and has since spread to the seventh.