‘All-Out’ Efforts to Put Out Fire, Search for Trapped Survivors

A fire that tore through a shoe factory in eastern China has killed at least 28 people, state media said, after scores of fire and rescue personnel raced to extinguish the blaze. The single-storey building housed shoe materials, including adhesives, which apparently fuelled the fire. Firefighters doused the facade and interior of the large white building with fire hoses, as thick black smoke billowed out of windows and doors.

Footage shared by state television CCTV showed people taking refuge near the windows and on the roof of the building, while the blaze raged in the lower floors. The Ministry of Emergency Management said 183 people and 35 vehicles were dispatched to the scene in Jinjiang city, Fujian province.

President Xi Jinping said the fire resulted in “heavy human losses”, with state news agency Xinhua later citing a preliminary toll of 28 dead. The fire chief, Du Zhenzhou, said his personnel struggled to reach the upper levels of the building because stairwells and exits were blocked with shoe materials.

The cause of the accident should be identified as soon as possible and those responsible must be strictly held accountable,” Xi said in remarks carried by Xinhua. He called for increased search and rescue efforts. The emergency management ministry demanded “all-out” efforts to put out the blaze, search for trapped survivors, and treat the injured.

It appears this is not an isolated incident; China has seen at least three major industrial safety accidents within the past year. Xi Jinping mentioned that “several major industrial safety accidents” had occurred in China this year and urged that “all regions and relevant departments must draw profound lessons from these incidents”.

Jinjiang city is a major manufacturing hub, and this factory is just one example of the many Chinese factories which produce goods on a large scale.

The fire came on the heels of other industrial accidents in China, including a blast at a fireworks factory in central China that killed 37 people in May and a fire at a residential building in southern China’s Guangdong province that killed 12 people in December.

China launched a campaign against fire hazards in high-rise buildings after a huge blaze engulfed several tower blocks in Hong Kong, killing 168 people in 2022. The Chinese government has been focusing on improving workplace safety and addressing the root causes of such incidents.

At Least 28 Dead

  • State media reported 28 people died in the fire at the Huiteng Shoes factory in eastern China.
  • The fire was extinguished, and rescue efforts are ongoing.
  • The cause of the accident is yet to be determined.
  • President Xi Jinping has called for increased search and rescue efforts.
  • The Chinese government has been focusing on improving workplace safety and addressing the root causes of such incidents.