Icheon Logistics Warehouse Fire: Second Joint Inspection Today... Will the Cause of Ignition Be Identified?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The second joint on-site investigation to determine the cause of the massive casualty incident at the Icheon logistics center fire will be conducted on the morning of the 1st.

The Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency will conduct the second joint on-site investigation from 10:30 a.m. at the underground 2nd floor of the logistics warehouse to determine the cause of the fire. This investigation aims to complete the excavation work on the underground 2nd floor, which is presumed to be the initial ignition point, and to identify the source that triggered the vapor explosion.

Jeong Yo-seop, head of the Forensic Investigation Unit at the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency, said in a briefing immediately after the first joint investigation the previous day, "Based on visual observation of the underground 1st and 2nd floors and the pattern of internal damage, it is presumed that the fire started on the underground 2nd floor," adding, "since the floor excavation work on the underground 2nd floor has not been fully completed, a second detailed investigation is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow."

The joint investigation will involve 45 personnel from seven organizations, including 15 members from the Southern Provincial Police Agency’s Forensic Investigation Unit, 8 from the National Forensic Service, 5 from Korea Electric Power Corporation, 3 from Korea Gas Corporation, 10 from the fire department, 2 from the Ministry of Employment and Labor, and 2 from the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, as was the case the previous day.

The incident occurred around 1:32 p.m. on the 29th at the underground 2nd floor of the newly constructed logistics warehouse in Sogori, Moga-myeon, Icheon City, resulting in 38 deaths and 10 injuries. The logistics warehouse, which spans two underground floors and four aboveground floors, was completely destroyed by fire.

During the urethane coating work on the underground 2nd floor, an unexplained explosion occurred, rapidly spreading the flames. In this process, a large amount of toxic gas was released, causing significant casualties.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.