Coupang warehouse fire in South Korea burns for more than 52 hours

A fire at Coupang’s Incheon logistics centre burned for more than 52 hours, forcing nearby businesses and factories to evacuate as Seoul authorities warned of collapse risks and said there were no civilian casualties so far. The blaze began on July 18 at the warehouse serving the Seoul metropolitan area and was still active on July 20, turning one of South Korea’s biggest e-commerce facilities into a prolonged safety and supply-chain emergency.

Reuters Connect identified the site as Coupang’s Incheon logistics centre in Seohae District’s Seoknan-dong. Another Reuters-linked post said about 78 workers were inside the four-story building when the fire started. South Korea’s Ministry of the Interior said at least 88 people were hospitalized and treated for smoke inhalation and minor injuries, while ChosunBiz said firefighters were injured while battling the blaze.

The evacuation orders came after officials raised concerns that parts of the building could collapse. That risk helped explain why the fire remained dangerous long after it started: large fulfillment centers are packed with goods, packaging, shelving, batteries, plastics and equipment, all of which can feed heat and smoke and make firefighting slower and more hazardous. ChosunBiz said the fire was still raging 27 hours after it began, a sign of how hard it can be to contain a major logistics-site blaze once it takes hold.

For Coupang, the damage extended beyond the warehouse walls. As one of South Korea’s most important delivery and online retail operators, the company relies on the fast movement of inventory through a dense distribution network, and a fire of this duration can interrupt shipments, force rerouting and delay order fulfilment across the Seoul region. The incident also revived attention on how modern logistics hubs are built and monitored, especially facilities that run around the clock and store dense stacks of merchandise under heavy automation.