Firefighting operations entered a second day at the scene of the fire that broke out on the 15th at the E-Land Group Fashion logistics center in Dongnam District, Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province. A major blaze was brought under control at about 3:30 p.m. the previous day, roughly 9 hours and 30 minutes after the fire started, but the flames have not been completely extinguished.
According to the South Chungcheong Fire Headquarters, part of the building has collapsed after the frame was exposed to intense flames for an extended period. Entry to the interior is currently impossible, it said. However, the level-1 response alert was lifted at about 9:51 a.m. that day.
Fire authorities have deployed about 150 firefighters and some 80 fire engines and suppression equipment to battle the blaze. They are also spraying up to 75,000 liters of water per minute from outside the building toward the interior as they work to extinguish the fire.
Completed in Jul. 2014, the E-Land Group Fashion logistics center has one basement level and four above-ground floors, with a total floor area of 193,210 square meters—about the size of 27 soccer fields. It can berth 150 cargo trucks simultaneously and is a large logistics facility that handles up to 50,000 boxes per day and 4 million to 5 million boxes annually. It was said to have stored at least more than 10,000 items of clothing and other goods.
With virtually the entire logistics center burned down, goods such as clothing and shoes kept there were all destroyed, and significant property damage is expected.
The fire is reported to have started at about 6:08 a.m. the previous day on the building's fourth floor above ground. Fire authorities issued a level-1 response seven minutes after the report was received, escalated to level 2 in about 50 minutes, and mobilized 150 pieces of equipment and 430 firefighters to carry out the initial suppression.
Because the fire occurred before work began, there were no casualties. Three employees, including a security guard who was on duty at the time, called 119 and evacuated on their own.
A fire official said, "Since part of the building has collapsed, entry to the interior is not possible, but we will continue extinguishing operations using equipment," adding, "It may take a little more time to fully extinguish the fire, but it does not appear it will spread further."