Coupang warehouse fire burns into second day; nearby schools to close Monday

A fire at a Coupang Inc warehouse in Incheon entered its second day Sunday with firefighters unable to contain the blaze, forcing authorities to mount another overnight operation.

The fire broke out at around 6:54 a.m. Saturday at a Coupang warehouse in Seoknam-dong, Seo-gu, Incheon, and had been burning for more than 37 hours as of 8 p.m. Sunday. Fire authorities plan to continue nighttime suppression efforts through Sunday, as they did Saturday.

Authorities issued a national fire mobilization order and deployed 228 pieces of equipment along with 721 firefighters, police officers and other personnel to fight the blaze.

Sunday afternoon, crews brought in excavators to demolish part of the building at a cargo vehicle access ramp connected to the sixth floor of the warehouse. The so-called "destruction operation" was aimed at venting smoke from the interior and creating space to pump in water.

Firefighters also tore down sections of the building's outer walls using aerial ladder trucks and articulated boom vehicles, and continued aerial water drops by helicopter until sunset.

At a morning briefing Sunday, fire authorities had estimated initial containment around 11 p.m., but the building's internal structure and the scale of the fire prevented that from happening.

As the fire dragged on, nearby educational facilities suspended operations. Incheon's Seo-gu district recommended that 31 daycare centers in the area close Monday, and a nearby elementary school also decided to shut for the day. Emergency childcare services at the daycare centers will remain available, however.

Thick smoke spreading across the area continued to disrupt residents in neighboring communities. Bucheon in Gyeonggi Province sent emergency alert messages urging residents to close their windows and refrain from outdoor activities due to heavy smoke drifting into the city.