Disaster! Massive Orders Forced to Cancel…

A major fire broke out at a large fashion logistics center in Cheonan City, South Chungcheong Province, South Korea, recently. The blaze burned for 60 hours before being fully extinguished, with no casualties reported. However, over 10 million branded clothing and footwear items were completely destroyed before they could be shipped.

It is reported that the fire started at 6:08 a.m. on the 15th, originating on the 4th floor of the logistics center building. A large quantity of stored clothing served as fuel, causing the fire to spread rapidly throughout the entire structure.

At the time of the incident, there was 1 security guard and 2 workers on-site, all of whom escaped safely after the alarm was triggered—no injuries or deaths were recorded. A relevant person in charge stated that the 1st and 2nd floors of the building were completely burned down.

Reports indicate that 430 firefighters, at least 63 ground vehicles, and multiple fire-fighting helicopters participated in extinguishing the blaze. Within 50 minutes of receiving the fire report, the fire department upgraded the response level to "Level 2" and deployed full resources to combat the fire. The main blaze was brought under control at approximately 3:31 p.m. the same day, after about 9 hours and 30 minutes. Remaining fire cleanup operations continued for the next two days, and the fire was fully extinguished at around 6:11 p.m. on the 17th.

A fire department official stated that the fire-fighting process was extremely difficult due to the large volume of stacked goods, but fortunately, the fire did not spread further. E-Land Group (the operator) said it had retrieved relevant surveillance footage and was investigating the cause of the fire.

It is understood that the logistics center has a 5-story structure (4 above-ground floors and 1 underground area) with a total area of 193,210 square meters—equivalent to 27 football fields. When completed in July 2014, it was hailed as Asia’s largest fashion logistics base, capable of handling up to 50,000 boxes per day and 4-5 million boxes annually.

The fire caused devastating losses: approximately 11 million clothing, footwear, and other items in the distribution center were burned down, and most facilities were also destroyed. As a result, many consumers’ online orders have been canceled. On the eve of the year-end peak season, the delivery operations of multiple fashion brands have been disrupted.

Key Safety Hazards in Warehousing & Logistics

1. Concentrated Combustibles: Logistics warehouses typically store large amounts of goods, often packaged in flammable materials such as cartons and plastics. Coupled with high stacking density, fires can easily spread rapidly through stacks, shelves, and conveyors, forming a "chain fire" scenario.

2. Layout Hazards: To cut costs, some logistics warehouses occupy safety spaces for goods storage, leading to insufficient or blocked fire exits. In the event of a fire, personnel evacuation is hindered, and fire vehicles struggle to approach—delaying the golden window for rescue.

3. Electrical Wiring Failures: Issues such as unauthorized wire connections, overloaded equipment, and aging circuits in logistics warehouses are prone to causing electrical fires. Additionally, illegal hot work (e.g., cutting, smoking) or forklifts without anti-static treatment in warehouses may also act as ignition sources.

4. Mixed Goods Storage: Some warehouses fail to separate hazardous chemicals from ordinary goods into separate storage areas. Poor ventilation, inadequate heat dissipation, or improper management may trigger chain reactions such as spontaneous combustion or explosions.

Safety is no trivial matter—prevention is better than cure! Faced with potential risks, all warehousing and logistics enterprises must proactively implement preventive measures and refine safety protocols to effectively avoid accidents.