Firefighters shift to mopping up hotspots at Incheon Coupang Inc warehouse

Firefighters launched full-scale mop-up operations Tuesday to completely extinguish the blaze at a Coupang Inc logistics center in Incheon.

Fire authorities declared the main fire at Coupang's No. 32 logistics center in Seoknam-dong, Seohaegu, Incheon, under control Monday around 8 p.m. That came 61 hours after the fire broke out on Saturday.

Firefighting operations are continuing as hotspots remain inside the building. Authorities are maintaining the national fire mobilization order and deploying personnel and equipment to clear the remaining embers. As of Tuesday, the operation had mobilized 239 pieces of firefighting equipment and 845 personnel.

With the main blaze contained, an evacuation order for residents within 116 meters of the scene was lifted as of Monday at 11 p.m. Residential areas had been excluded from the mandatory evacuation zone, but 202 residents voluntarily sought shelter at evacuation centers out of concern over smoke and dust exposure.

Concerns about a possible building collapse, raised by some, were also largely resolved. Fire authorities plan to investigate the cause of the fire and assess the scale of the damage as soon as the remaining hotspots are cleared.