Firefighters battle Coupang warehouse blaze for 3rd day amid collapse fears

Firefighters battle to put out the blaze at a logistics center run by Coupang in Incheon, west of Seoul, for the third day, Monday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

INCHEON — Firefighters continued to battle a massive blaze at a Coupang warehouse Monday as flames continued to rage for the third day and force people to evacuate amid concerns of a potential collapse of the building.

The fire at the logistics center in Incheon, just west of Seoul, remained uncontained as of 10:30 a.m. after it began early Saturday morning, according to the Incheon firefighting headquarters.

While the complex building structure and vast amounts of flammable material inside have hampered firefighting efforts, authorities made progress on Monday, helped by rainfall.

Firefighters battle to put out the blaze at a logistics center run by Coupang in Incheon, west of Seoul, for the third day, Monday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

"(We) believe it will be possible to bring the fire under initial control sometime today," a fire official said. "It is difficult to specify exactly when the fire will be extinguished."

Authorities have deployed 812 firefighters and 231 pieces of equipment to battle the blaze under a national mobilization order issued Saturday.

A total of 178 people have taken shelter at nearby schools after the local government issued an evacuation order late Sunday for areas within 116 meters of the warehouse's ramp zone.

Local authorities advised daycare centers and elementary schools in the area to close Monday, leading to the closure of one elementary school and 14 daycare centers.