“Because black smoke has covered the sky and there is a pungent smell, we have been trembling with anxiety for a second day.”

As the fire at the Coupang 32 Logistics Center in Seoknam-dong, Seohae-gu, Incheon remained unextinguished for a second day on the 19th, nearby residents were gripped by fear. The area around the Coupang logistics center is an industrial zone, but dense residential neighborhoods, including apartment complexes, are clustered just 200~300 meters away.

A, 64, who lives near the Coupang logistics center, said, “When the fire broke out, black smoke covered the sky, and at night there were bright red flames and even explosion sounds,” adding, “Coupang should compensate nearby residents who have suffered damage and have been unable to sleep for two days.” He added, “Even before it opened in November 2024, there was also a fire while welding at the Coupang logistics center.”

The black smoke from the Coupang logistics center covered the skies over Incheon, including Gajeong-dong in Seohae-gu and Cheongcheon-dong in Bupyeong-gu. On the 18th, the day the fire broke out, Seohae-gu sent a safety alert text message saying, “Large amounts of smoke and dust are being generated due to the fire, so nearby residents and facilities for vulnerable groups should keep windows closed and refrain from outdoor activities.”

B, who lives in Seohae-gu, said, “There is a lot of inconvenience because of the black smoke and acrid toxic gas, including not even being able to open the windows.”

C, 67, who works at the Coupang 32 Logistics Center, said the fire would not be easy to extinguish. C said, “On the sixth floor where the fire is said to have started, household goods are stacked in cardboard boxes, and there are thousands of red and yellow plastic pallets on the floor, so it will not go out until they have all burned.”

Heo Seok-gyeong, chief of the Incheon Seo Fire Station, said at an on-site briefing on the 19th, “Combustible materials are piled on the sixth and seventh floors where the fire broke out, and because firefighters cannot enter, they are suppressing it from outside using aerial ladder trucks, so it will take a long time to put out.” He said, “Sprinklers appear to have been installed inside the logistics center and water was sprayed, but we will determine the exact facts through a future forensic examination.”

Although Coupang 32 is a huge logistics center with a total floor area of 300,000 square meters, fortunately there have been no civilian casualties so far. A total of 2,195 people work at this logistics center, but the fire broke out at 6:54 a.m., a time when almost no workers are present.

The night shift at this logistics center runs from 7 p.m. to 4 a.m. the next day, and the day shift from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The 121 people who evacuated on their own were employees who had been cleaning and tidying up. People in and around the area believe that because it was around the shift-change time, a large number of casualties was avoided.

An official from Seohae-gu said, “Because the fire broke out at a time outside work hours and on the sixth and seventh floors rather than on the first and second floors at ground level, a major casualty event was avoided.”

However, two firefighters working to put out the blaze at the scene were injured. One firefighter in his 40s who was using a ladder truck inhaled smoke and is being treated at a hospital, while another showed symptoms of exhaustion, received hospital treatment, and was discharged.

The fire at the Incheon Coupang 32 Logistics Center, which broke out at 6:54 a.m. on the 18th, had not been brought under control as of 1 p.m. on the 19th, 30 hours later.