The fire broke out at about 6:50 a.m. on the sixth floor of the multi-story storage center in Seoknam-dong, Incheon. Authorities said the flames later spread to the seventh floor, complicating efforts to contain the blaze.
One firefighter was hospitalized after inhaling smoke, but no other casualties have been reported as all 121 people inside evacuated safely.
Nearly 500 firefighters and more than 100 pieces of equipment had been deployed to the scene, but the fire remained active due to the size of the facility and the large volume of combustible household goods stored inside.
According to fire authorities, the entire sixth floor is not burning, but part of it remains engulfed in flames. Each floor is said to cover about 33,000 square meters, roughly the size of 15 soccer fields.
"The fire appears to be spreading to the seventh floor along the building's exterior wall," one firefighter said. " We are making efforts to extinguish the fire while taking the risk of structural collapse into consideration. It is difficult to estimate when the fire will be brought under control."
Fire officials said firefighting operations have been hampered by poor visibility inside the building and the large volume of highly combustible merchandise stored on the affected floor.
Incheon's district office issued emergency alerts urging residents to avoid the area as smoke drifted toward nearby apartment complexes.
President Lee Jae Myung instructed relevant agencies to deploy all available resources to extinguish the fire and minimize damage, while emphasizing the need to ensure the safety of firefighters at the scene.
In a statement released Saturday afternoon, Coupang Fulfillment Services (CFS) CEO Jeong Jong-cheol apologized for the incident and expressed his wishes for the injured firefighter's swift recovery.
"We sincerely apologize for causing concern to the residents of Incheon," he said. "We will prioritize the safety of firefighters, provide full support for firefighting operations, actively cooperate with the authorities' investigation, and provide assistance to local residents affected by the fire."
Meanwhile, the cause of the fire remain under investigation, with fire authorities saying a full investigation will begin once the blaze has been fully extinguished.
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