The fire at the E-Land Fashion logistics center in Pungse-myeon, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, that began on the 15th has continued into a second day.

As of the 16th, according to the South Chungcheong Fire Headquarters and others, about 150 firefighters and roughly 80 fire engines and suppression units are focusing on extinguishing remaining hotspots at the scene.

Due to prolonged exposure to intense flames, part of the building frame collapsed, making interior entry impossible; accordingly, crews are continuing suppression by directing water monitors from outside into the interior, concentrating up to 75,000ℓ per minute.

The main blaze was brought under control at about 3:31 p.m. the previous day, approximately 9 hours and 30 minutes after the fire started, and the Level 2 response was lifted as of 7:30 p.m. However, as of 6:00 a.m. on the 16th, a Level 1 response remains in effect.

It was reported that stockpiled items such as shoes and clothing inside acted as fuel, making extinguishment difficult.

This logistics center, completed in July 2014, has 1 basement level and 4 above-ground floors; with a total floor area of 193,210㎡, it is a mega-facility equivalent to 27 soccer fields. Up to 150 cargo trucks can dock simultaneously, and it handles up to 50,000 boxes per day and 4 to 5 million boxes annually. It is understood that more than about 10,000 items, including apparel, were stored inside.

The entire building is currently completely burned, and a substantial quantity of stored goods such as clothing and shoes has been destroyed by fire, making massive property damage inevitable.

The fire first broke out at about 6:08 a.m. the previous day on the fourth floor above ground. A Level 1 response was issued 7 minutes after the report was received, and it was expanded to Level 2 in about 50 minutes. The fire authorities deployed 150 pieces of equipment and 430 personnel to fight the blaze.

Because the fire occurred before operations began, there were no casualties. Three employees, including a security guard on duty at the time, also evacuated on their own.

An official at the South Chungcheong Fire Headquarters said, “We plan to begin investigating the cause of the fire today.”