The National Fire Agency said on the 21st it will operate a "central joint fire investigation team" to identify the cause of the fire and analyze the scale of damage at the Coupang 32 logistics center in Seoknam-dong, Seohae District, Incheon.
The joint investigation team includes eight organizations and about 30 people in total, including the National Fire Agency, the National Fire Research Institute, fire appraisal agencies in Seoul and Gyeonggi, the Disaster Prevention Research Institute, the Korea Electrical Safety Corporation (KESCO), the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards, and the Incheon fire headquarters and fire stations. Private-sector experts, including Ph.D. engineers and fire and safety professors, also agreed to take part in on-site forensics.
A fire broke out at the Coupang 32 logistics center at about 6:54 a.m. on the 18th. The blaze is presumed to have started on the sixth floor of the logistics center. The joint investigation team plans to conduct a detailed forensic examination focusing on logistics equipment, electrical facilities, and stored goods on the sixth floor and to run fire-reenactment experiments.
Joo Young-guk, director of 119 response at the National Fire Agency, said, "This investigation will not stop at simply identifying the cause but will be used as basic data for developing policies to prevent similar large fires and strengthen safety at logistics facilities," adding, "We will share the central joint fire investigation team's findings widely with related ministries, local governments, and the private sector and use them as grounds for establishing effective safety measures."
The major flames at the Coupang 32 logistics center were brought under control at about 8 p.m. the previous day, 61 hours after the fire broke out. Fire authorities partially lifted the national fire mobilization order that deploys personnel and equipment from eight nearby cities and provinces on the morning of the same day, but they are continuing suppression operations for complete extinguishment while maintaining a level-2 response alert.