The fire at the Coupang logistics center in Incheon has been extinguished after three days, prompting a joint investigation into the cause of the blaze.
According to the Incheon Fire Department, the fire broke out at the Coupang No. 32 logistics center in Seongnam-dong, Incheon, at 6:54 a.m. on July 18 and was initially brought under control around 8 p.m. on July 20, approximately 61 hours later.
Authorities plan to conduct a joint investigation with the police, the National Forensic Service, and the Korea Electrical Safety Corporation. The investigation will focus on the sixth floor of Building B, which is believed to be the initial ignition point, once the building's safety is confirmed.
During the investigation, officials will also secure evidence such as closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from inside the logistics center and fire alarm data to clarify the circumstances surrounding the fire.
The police have established a dedicated investigation team, including members from the Incheon Police Agency's Serious Crimes Investigation Unit and the Major Disaster Investigation Division, to determine the cause of the fire. They plan to reference the 2021 fire at the Coupang logistics center in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, where officials were prosecuted for delaying initial response by repeatedly disabling fire alarms.
This fire occurred in an eight-story logistics center with a total floor area of approximately 299,000 square meters. All 121 employees on duty at the time were evacuated safely, although two firefighters were transported to the hospital due to smoke inhalation and exhaustion during the firefighting efforts. The fire department issued a national firefighting mobilization order, deploying 231 vehicles and 812 personnel to combat the blaze.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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