A fierce fire tore through a major E-land fashion logistics center on early Saturday, November 15, destroying two floors of the facility and sending a plume of thick black smoke over the city.
Firefighters have quickly responded to the scene and despite the scale of blaze, no injuries were reported.
The incident took place at the fourth story of the warehouse located in Pungse-myeon, Cheonan’s Dongnam District at 6:10 a.m. (local time).
Due to highly flammable goods inside, the flames spread quickly engulfing the first and second floors in no time.
Initially, fire fighters issued a level 1 response but since the scale of blaze escalated, they prompted a serious level 2 response by 7:01 a.m.
The operation involved 129 firefighters and 63 fire engines deployed from Cheonan and nearby Asan to battle the fire.
An official in a statement confirmed mid-morning, “The first and second floors had already been completely destroyed. We are currently focused on extinguishing the flames on the third and fourth floors.”
The city government of Cheonan city issued an emergency alert at 7:20 a.m. considering the intensity of fire and the potential health risks from the smoke.
The residents located in the immediate vicinity are urged to evacuate and drivers are advised to take alternative routes.
Officials have confirmed that it would take considerable time to suppress the blaze completely due to the large quantity of combustible materials inside the warehouse.
The cause of the fire is still unknown and authorities are examining potential sources including electrical origins.
A thorough investigation will begin once the fire is completely extinguished.