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🇰🇷 South Korea /Disasters & Emergencies

Incheon logistics center fire displaces residents; city eyes new zoning rules

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • A large fire at a Coupang logistics center in Incheon, South Korea, has forced 169 residents from 90 households to evacuate to temporary shelters.
  • Residents living about 100 meters from the facility complain of smoke, ash, and noise, with some unable to open windows for ventilation.
  • City officials plan to revise urban planning regulations to prevent new warehouse facilities from being built within 500 meters of residential areas.

The ongoing fire at a Coupang logistics center in Incheon, South Korea, has displaced nearly 170 residents, forcing them into temporary shelters as smoke and ash blanket their neighborhood. The facility, built in 2023, is situated just about 100 meters from homes in the Seoknam 1-dong area, a proximity that residents say exacerbates the impact of the blaze.

I never thought a fire in a logistics center in the city would take this long to put out. When they built the logistics center, there was a fire, but it was put out quickly, so I thought this one would be too. I never imagined we would end up living in temporary shelters like this.

— Park Seong-yongA resident whose home is about 100 meters from the Coupang logistics center, describing the impact of the fire and his unexpected displacement.

Residents describe a difficult living situation, unable to open windows for ventilation and enduring constant noise from firefighting operations. "I never thought a fire in a logistics center in the city would take this long to put out," said Park Seong-yong, a resident whose home is approximately 100 meters from the site. "When they built the logistics center, there was a fire, but it was put out quickly, so I thought this one would be too." Now, he and others are living in temporary shelters, concerned about the potential for fires to spread rapidly in an area with many factories.

We always wear masks when we go outside. We keep our doors and windows closed and just use the air conditioner.

— Ms. JuA resident of an apartment complex near the logistics center, describing the daily challenges of living with the smoke and ash.

Some residents also reported a lack of timely information regarding evacuation procedures, particularly in densely populated villa areas. Concerns are mounting over living so close to a facility with such high fire risk, especially after evacuation orders were issued for a 116-meter radius due to fears of structural collapse. In response, Incheon city officials announced plans to amend urban planning regulations, aiming to prohibit the construction of new warehouse facilities within 500 meters of residential areas, with the new rules expected by September.

We can't even open our doors at night. Forget about ventilation.

— Ms. UhmA resident in her 30s living in a multi-family house near the logistics center, expressing the difficulties of daily life due to the fire.

Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Ho-jung visited the site and temporary shelters, relaying President Lee Jae-myung's directive to focus on extinguishing the fire, prevent further damage, and ensure the safety of firefighting personnel. He also urged swift and accurate communication to residents to alleviate their anxiety and prevent secondary damages.

At night, we hear explosions. I don't know if it's the sound of water being sprayed on the outer wall of the logistics center or something falling off.

— KimA resident describing the unsettling noises experienced at night due to the ongoing firefighting operations.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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