Lithium battery possible source of Incheon Coupang fire; exact cause still unknown
In short
South Korea's National Forensic Service found that a lithium battery may have ignited the July fire at a Coupang logistics centre in Incheon, local outlets reported. The precise cause and the product containing the battery remain unidentified, and police are continuing their investigation.
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A lithium battery may have been the ignition source of the July fire at a Coupang logistics centre in Incheon, according to an initial forensic assessment reported by Korean outlets. The National Forensic Service notified police of its findings in September but said it could not determine the precise cause. Police are continuing the investigation, and further detailed forensic examination is planned. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Yonhap and Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that the type of battery under examination is used to recharge desktop fans, fishing water pumps and vacuum-packaging machines. Investigators could not identify the specific product containing the battery because the suspected ignition area was completely burned. CCTV footage identified the second level of a three-tier shelf on the building's sixth floor as the ignition point. The forensic service plans to examine the shelf's precise location further. [ 1 , 2 ]
Police opened a negligent-fire case against an unidentified person to carry out a search, according to Yonhap and Kyunghyang. They reviewed documents and questioned Coupang personnel as witnesses. Police consider the fire-safety facilities to have operated normally during the fire and say related training and regular inspections had been conducted. They plan to close the case without referral to prosecutors if further investigation does not establish unlawful conduct. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
The fire broke out at about 6:54 a.m. on July 18 and was extinguished after roughly 109 hours and 40 minutes. Two firefighters received hospital treatment, one for smoke inhalation and the other for exhaustion. Newsis reported that all 121 employees evacuated and that the blaze spread from the sixth floor to the seventh on the day it began. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Why it matters
The fire took more than 109 hours to extinguish, and two firefighters received hospital treatment. Police say they plan to close the case without referring it to prosecutors if further investigation finds no unlawful conduct.
Key facts
- The National Forensic Service sent police its initial assessment in September, identifying a possible lithium-battery ignition. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The suspected ignition area was completely burned, preventing identification of the product containing the battery. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- CCTV identified the second level of a three-tier shelf on the sixth floor as the ignition point. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The fire began on July 18 at about 6:54 a.m. and took roughly 109 hours and 40 minutes to extinguish. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The precise ignition cause and the product containing the battery are unknown. The initial forensic assessment could not establish the cause, and the suspected ignition area was completely burned.