쿠팡 물류센터 이틀째 화재...진화 왜 어렵나? / YTN

■ Hosts: Anchor Yoo Da-won, Anchor Jung Hyun-woo ■ Guest: Ham Eun-gu, Professor of Safety Engineering at Eulji University The text below may differ from the actual broadcast content. Please refer to the broadcast for more accurate information. When citing, please specify [YTN News Wide]. [Anchor] Firefighting efforts have been underway for two days following the outbreak of a fire at the Coupang logistics center in Incheon. Despite the efforts of firefighters on the scene, the flames have not yet been brought under control. We will discuss the current situation with Professor Ham Eun-gu of the Department of Safety Engineering at Eulji University. Welcome. The fire has been burning for over 30 hours now. We have connected with a reporter on the scene, and it appears that the intensity of the main fire is gradually being brought under control. Why is it so difficult to extinguish? [Ham Eun-gu] First of all, it appears to be due to the characteristics of a logistics warehouse. To reiterate, because it is literally a logistics warehouse, there was a very large amount of combustible material. In particular, goods were stacked in three tiers up to the ceiling in the form of racks, also known as shelves. In the case of the 6th floor where the fire broke out, there were household goods, such as packaging materials and various boxes—a vast amount of combustible material. Furthermore, the problem is that, as you have repeatedly mentioned, it is a large flat surface. This characteristic of a single, open space—where a fire starts in one spot and spreads throughout the entire area—can be considered the most fundamental reason why the fire is not being brought under control, despite the firefighters' all-out efforts to extinguish it. [Anchor] The fire department stated in a briefing this morning that their goal was to bring the initial fire under control—that is, to some extent extinguish the main fire—by around 11 PM. Given the current situation and the image you saw earlier, do you think that is possible? What are your thoughts? [Ham Eun-gu] They are employing various forms of suppression, including high-capacity artillery and rocket launchers. Also, regarding the conditions of the combustible materials on the 6th and 7th floors that were initially reported, strictly speaking, it seems that most of the combustible material inside has actually been almost completely consumed. Of course, the fire is being suppressed by various firefighting equipment and water spraying, but given that the fire has been burning for over 30 hours, it seems likely that most of the combustible materials inside have been destroyed in the first phase. From that perspective, it appears highly likely that the main fire will be brought under control by 11 o'clock today, just as the fire department predicts. [Anchor] The fire authorities are currently conducting a three-dimensional special firefighting operation, and as you mentioned, a high-capacity foam spray system is also in operation. Are these things helping with the firefighting? [Ham Eun-gu] That is correct. Ultimately, the primary effect of spraying water during a fire is cooling. The foam spray system you mentioned is a piece of equipment with immense power, capable of pouring out 45,000 liters per minute. It is typically used when fires break out in petrochemical plants or oil storage tanks, and it appears that utilizing this equipment is effectively helping to control the main fire to a certain extent. [Anchor] First off, we can see black smoke continuously billowing out from the scene. It seems that entering the building would be difficult under these conditions. I heard there was even an emergency evacuation order at one point; how would you view the current situation? [Ham Eun-gu] In a way, if I were to explain it from a different perspective, there is no real reason to attempt to enter the building right now. So, if it is a critical situation where there are occupants inside and people in need of rescue, would it be possible to suppress the situation while securing a bridgehead... (omitted) YTN Kim Ji-seon ([email protected]) ▶ Original Article : https://www.ytn.co.kr/_ln/0103_202607... ▶ Report a Tip : https://mj.ytn.co.kr/mj/mj_write.php ▣ Subscribe to YTN YouTube Channel : http://goo.gl/Ytb5SZ ⓒ YTN Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution, and use of AI data are prohibited