Cheonan: A fire broke out early Saturday at the E-Land logistics center in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, sending thick black smoke billowing into the sky, South Korean officials said, but there were no reports of injuries.
According to Thai News Agency, the Korea JoongAng Daily newspaper website reported that the fire started at around 6:10 a.m. local time, two hours ahead of Thailand, in a four-story building in Dongnam District. Firefighters raised the incident response level from Level 1 at 6:15 a.m. to Level 2 at 7:01 a.m. due to the rapid spread of the flames.
Authorities deployed 430 firefighters, at least 63 ground fire trucks, and 11 firefighting helicopters to tackle the blaze. Officials said the blaze was brought under control by 3:30 p.m., nearly nine and a half hours after the incident.
While no injuries were reported, officials said the sheer volume of clothing and other goods stored inside the logistics center made the fire difficult to control. At 7:20 a.m., the Cheonan City government issued an emergency warning, urging residents in the surrounding area to evacuate and urging drivers to avoid other routes.
An official said the first and second floors of the building were completely destroyed and by 6:00 p.m., officials confirmed the fire was completely under control.
Completed in July 2014, this large logistics center covers a total area of 193,210 square meters, with one basement level and four above-ground levels. It can accommodate 150 trucks simultaneously and handle up to 50,000 boxes per day and 4-5 million boxes per year.
The warehouse houses clothing and shoes from dozens of E-Land brands. As all online orders for the SPAO brand are processed here, damage is expected to be inevitable. E-Land announced on its official website that the unexpected issues at the distribution center may cause shipment delays or cancellations of some orders for the time being, adding that safety checks and restoration work are currently underway, which will be carried out as soon as things return to normal.
Meanwhile, police and firefighters plan to investigate the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage once the remaining flames are extinguished.