A fire at a Coupang logistics center in Incheon spread up the exterior wall to the upper floors, reaching the seventh, Kyunghyang Shinmun and Chosun Ilbo reported. The wide space and heavy smoke made suppression hard, and the blaze lasted more than nine hours.

Fire authorities raised their response to the highest level. The fire agency issued a national mobilization order concentrating firefighting resources from neighboring areas. Taiwan's United Daily News also reported that the Incheon center was engulfed in black smoke and that firefighters, mobilized en masse for 13 hours, struggled to put it out.

Why logistics-center fires are hard to fight

Large logistics centers have high ceilings and open interiors, so fire spreads fast once it starts. Stored packaging and goods become fuel, while automated equipment and narrow aisles hamper entry. 'Vertical spread' up exterior cladding is the greatest challenge in early suppression.

President Lee ordered an all-out response, directing a review of 'the entire safety-management system of large logistics facilities.' Alongside minimizing casualties, calls are growing to examine the structural causes behind recurring logistics-center fires.

The Chinese community in Korea includes many who work in logistics and distribution. Fire safety at large workplaces is not one company's problem but is tied directly to the lives of everyone who works there—so this accident is not someone else's concern.