By admin 
July 18 (Asia Today) — Coupang said Saturday it would fully cooperate with firefighting efforts and an investigation into the cause of a prolonged fire at one of its logistics centers in Incheon.
“We called emergency services immediately after becoming aware of the fire, and fire authorities responded quickly,” Coupang Chief Executive Chung Jong-chul said in a statement. “All employees who were inside the logistics center at the time evacuated safely.”
The company said it would support firefighting operations while making firefighter safety its top priority and cooperate fully with the relevant authorities’ investigation.
“We sincerely apologize for causing concern among Incheon residents and the public,” Chung said.
The fire began at about 6:54 a.m. local time on the sixth floor of Coupang Logistics Center 32, an eight-story building in the Seoknam neighborhood of Incheon’s Seo District.
Fire authorities issued a first-level response at 9:15 a.m. local time and raised it to the second level at 12:25 p.m. A national fire mobilization order was issued at about 3:15 p.m. local time.
Additional equipment was dispatched from Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, Daejeon, Sejong, Gangwon Province, North Chungcheong Province, South Chungcheong Province and North Jeolla Province.
The reinforcements included 24 aerial ladder and articulated ladder trucks, 23 water tankers, one unmanned firefighting robot and six firefighter rehabilitation vehicles.
Authorities said 412 firefighters, police officers and other personnel were working at the scene with 155 vehicles and pieces of equipment, including pump trucks and water tankers.
All 121 people who were inside the building when the fire broke out evacuated without assistance. One firefighter was injured during the operation and was receiving treatment.
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Fire officials said the sixth floor was a large warehouse with three-tier storage racks containing large quantities of household products and other combustible materials.
“The interior is extremely large, and thick smoke continues to spread,” fire authorities said. “High temperatures, poor visibility and the smoke are making it extremely difficult to enter the building.”
Choi Yong-chul, head of the National Fire Agency’s central emergency rescue control unit, reviewed firefighting plans amid concerns that parts of the building could collapse.
Following advice from structural experts, authorities decided to prioritize firefighter safety and use exterior ramps and other side access areas instead of attempting a risky entry into the building.
The Incheon Fire Department deployed high-capacity foam systems, chemical fire engines, aerial ladder trucks and unmanned water-cannon vehicles. Crews continued spraying water to cool the building and prevent the fire from spreading.
The National Fire Agency divided its central emergency control unit into separate teams to respond simultaneously to heavy rain across the country and the Incheon warehouse fire.
Choi ordered authorities to closely monitor the risk of structural collapse and proceed only where firefighter safety could be secured.
“Mobilize all available firefighting personnel and specialized equipment nationwide and make every effort to extinguish the fire,” he said.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260718010006388
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