"When the rain let up for a moment yesterday, I went home and wiped down the sink, and I used up an entire pack of wet wipes."
On the morning of the 21st, the gym at Sinhyeon Elementary School in Seohae District, Incheon. A resident in their 70s, identified as A, sitting in front of a pale yellow tent, sighed as A pictured a house covered in dust. A has been staying at this temporary shelter since the fire broke out on the 18th at the Coupang 32 Logistics Center in Seoknam-dong, Seohae District.
More than three days of evacuation have left the body completely exhausted. A said, "I've lost more than 2 kilograms, and maybe because of the dust, my voice isn't what it used to be," adding, "They say the fire is under control, but I'm worried whether I can go back and live at home."
The main blaze at the Coupang 32 Logistics Center was brought under control around 8 p.m. on the 20th, 61 hours after it started. The evacuation order issued on the 19th was also lifted at 11 p.m. the same day. But more than 100 residents still have not left the temporary shelters set up in school gyms. With mop-up operations ongoing and smoke and dust having seeped into homes, it is difficult to return to normal life right away.
◇Thirty returned home, but new arrivals continue
Dozens of orange tents lined the floor of the Sinhyeon Elementary School gym. Between the tents, officials from the Seohae District Office, the Incheon Office of Education, the Korean Red Cross, and Coupang bustled about checking on residents' inconveniences.
On one side, a resident expressing frustration and anxiety was receiving counseling from a Red Cross employee. District office workers looked for open spaces to assign to incoming residents while also preparing to distribute boxed lunches.
They asked an elderly person staying alone in a tent for understanding about sharing the space with other residents. One tent accommodates four people, but placements had to be adjusted continually depending on family makeup and residents' circumstances.
Temporary shelters were set up at Sinhyeon Elementary and Sinhyeonbuk Elementary, and Sinhyeon Girls' Middle School. As of 1 p.m. that day, 80 people from 54 households were at Sinhyeon Elementary, 90 people from 55 households at Sinhyeonbuk Elementary, and 20 people from 15 households at Sinhyeon Girls' Middle School, for a total of 190 people.
That is not much different from the 202 people before the evacuation order was lifted. About 30 residents returned home after the order ended, but new arrivals at the shelters continued. With smoke and dust from the prolonged fire spreading into nearby residential areas, quite a few residents left their homes belatedly.
◇"My throat is so raspy I can barely speak"
It was easy to find residents at the shelters complaining of sore throats, headaches, and indigestion.
B, a resident in their 60s staying at the temporary shelter at Sinhyeonbuk Elementary, said in a hoarse voice, "My throat is so raspy I can hardly speak," adding, "I can't digest food and I have headaches, so I take medicine every day."
Residents at the temporary shelters received a total of 230 medical consultations and checkups as of that morning. There were also 58 cases in which people asked for psychological stabilization due to anxiety from the fire and evacuation.
As residents continue to report health problems, living and medical support is ongoing. The Korean Red Cross is providing emergency relief kits, emergency food, and blankets. Coupang Fulfillment Services (CFS) has stationed professional nursing staff to monitor residents' health.
Outside the gym at Sinhyeon Girls' Middle School, a mobile counseling vehicle called the "Mind Relief Bus" was also deployed. Residents received counseling there for anxiety, depression, and stress after the fire.
◇Dust and falling debris risks make return home uncertain
Beyond smoke and dust, concerns about additional safety accidents at the logistics center building are also making it hard for residents to go home.
With strong winds blowing across Seohae District that day, parts of the steel frame on the outer wall of the Coupang 32 Logistics Center fell. The Seohae District Office sent a safety alert text in the morning, asking people to avoid approaching or traveling through nearby areas, saying, "Because of heavy rain and strong winds, there is a risk that parts of the Coupang logistics center structure may fall."
Although the evacuation order has been lifted, it remains unclear when residents will be able to return home. How long the temporary shelters will operate has also not been decided.
An official at the Seohae District Office said, "The temporary shelters were set up to support residents, separate from the evacuation order," adding, "For now, we have not set an operating deadline."
Firefighting operations are continuing at the logistics center where the fire broke out. The national mobilization order for firefighters has been lifted, but fire authorities are maintaining response level 2 while extinguishing remaining embers inside the building.
Once extinguishing is complete, fire authorities plan to investigate the exact cause and the scale of the damage. They will form a "central joint fire investigation team" to conduct a detailed forensic examination of the sixth floor of the logistics center, where the fire is believed to have started, and carry out fire reconstruction experiments.