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A fire at Coupang's fulfilment centre in Incheon continued to burn for more than 52 hours, prompting authorities to evacuate nearby factories and businesses over fears of a partial building collapse. All workers were safely evacuated and no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The warehouse plays a key role in serving the Seoul metropolitan area, although the company has not yet disclosed the extent of operational disruption or financial impact caused by the incident.
A fire at a major fulfilment centre operated by South Korea's largest e-commerce company, Coupang, continued to burn for more than 52 hours, leading authorities to evacuate nearby businesses and factories due to concerns over a possible partial collapse of the building.
The fire broke out on the sixth floor of Coupang's No. 32 logistics centre in Incheon, west of Seoul, over the past weekend and later spread to the seventh floor, according to local fire authorities. Firefighters remained at the site as smoke continued to rise from the building despite rainfall, with television footage showing dozens of fire engines deployed to control the blaze.
Coupang confirmed that all employees inside the warehouse were safely evacuated after the fire started. No casualties have been reported.
The exact cause of the fire has not yet been determined. Authorities said the warehouse stores a large volume of combustible materials, including household goods, paper cartons and vinyl packaging, which may have contributed to the prolonged firefighting operation. A detailed investigation will begin once the fire is completely extinguished.
As a precaution, authorities ordered the evacuation of shops and factories located within a 116-metre radius of the warehouse's ramp area after structural experts raised concerns about the possibility of parts of the building collapsing.
The eight-storey fulfilment centre has a total floor area of approximately 299,000 square metres, roughly equivalent to the size of 42 football fields. It serves the Seoul metropolitan area and is primarily used to store products directly purchased by Coupang for its fast-delivery service.
Coupang has not yet disclosed the expected impact of the fire on its logistics operations or the financial losses arising from the incident. The company operates one of South Korea's largest logistics networks and, according to its 2025 corporate fact sheet, has more than 100 logistics centres across over 30 regions in the country. The extensive network could help the company redirect deliveries while operations at the affected facility remain suspended, although no official confirmation has been provided.
The incident is one of the latest major warehouse fires involving large logistics facilities in South Korea, highlighting the operational challenges posed by warehouses storing high volumes of packaging materials and consumer goods. Such incidents often require prolonged firefighting efforts due to the density of stored inventory and the complexity of large fulfilment centres.
Earlier during the firefighting operation, the head of Coupang Fulfilment Services, Jeong Jong-cheol, expressed regret over the incident and said the company would fully cooperate with the authorities, support ongoing firefighting efforts and provide assistance to nearby residents affected by the fire. The company has not issued any additional comments since then.
Source Reuters
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