SEOUL: Firefighters continued to battle a massive blaze at a Coupang warehouse Monday (July 20) as flames that broke out nearly 50 hours earlier continued to rage and force residents to evacuate amid concerns of a potential collapse of the building.
The fire that started early Saturday (July 18) morning continued to remain uncontained as of 6am, as the complex building structure and vast amounts of flammable material stored inside the logistics center in Incheon, just west of Seoul, hampered firefighting efforts, according to the Incheon firefighting headquarters.
Authorities have deployed 813 firefighters and 231 pieces of equipment to battle the blaze under a national mobilisation order issued Saturday.
Hundreds of residents 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 for the day.
A fire authority said the rain falling at the site was expected to offer little help in dousing the flames as the water can barely reach the building's interior.
"We are carrying out the operation while assessing on-site safety from multiple angles," the official said. - Yonhap
