As the fire at the Coupang logistics center in Incheon entered its 33rd hour, fire authorities deployed additional specialized fire trucks, including aerial ladder and articulating ladder trucks. The move is aimed at extinguishing flames on the upper floors.
According to the National Fire Agency on the 19th, a situational assessment meeting was held in the afternoon, chaired by Central Emergency Response Control Chief Choi Yong-cheol with fire commanders from each sector in attendance, and the decision was made accordingly.
They decided to intensify suppression operations in each sector while concentrating water on areas where flames remain and continuing cooling extinguishment, and to prepare for the possibility of the fire flaring up again due to heat accumulated inside and remaining combustibles.
Along with specialized fire trucks, fire authorities are focusing all available equipment, such as ventilation robots, on areas that are difficult for vehicles to access, including the building exterior and ramp sections.
They are also deploying additional drones to monitor in real time the burning conditions on the upper floors and inside the building, sharing the footage with on-site commanders and suppression crews.
In anticipation that smoke or embers could spread to nearby facilities due to weather changes, fire authorities plan to stage aerial and articulating ladder trucks forward and to continue forming water curtains and cooling water application.
Central Emergency Response Control Chief Choi Yong-cheol said, "We are mobilizing all available firefighting personnel and equipment to focus all efforts on extinguishing the fire," and urged, "Center your response on the commanders in each sector to closely check the fire situation, prevent the spread of flames to adjacent facilities, and prioritize the safety of on-site personnel."
The fire broke out at about 6:54 a.m. the previous day at the Coupang 32 Logistics Center in Seoknam-dong, Seohae District. The logistics center has a total floor area of 299,000 square meters and eight stories above ground; the fire started on the sixth floor and spread to the upper floors.
Fire authorities expect to bring the major flames under control at about 11 p.m. that day.