China shoe factory fire kills 28 in Fujian province

A devastating fire at the Huiteng footwear factory has resulted in the deaths of 28 people. The incident occurred on Thursday, 9 July 2026, in Jiangtou village, Chendai township, located in the city of Jinjiang, Fujian province. Known widely as China’s “shoe capital,” the region is a central hub for global manufacturing, producing over 1.2 billion pairs of shoes in 2024, a figure representing 20 percent of the world’s output.

The blaze began at approximately noon local time on Thursday, 9 July 2026, within a five-floor concrete structure that served as both a workshop and a warehouse. According to details provided by the state broadcaster CCTV and news agency Xinhua, there were 239 individuals on the premises at the time the fire erupted, including 237 factory workers and two visitors. While emergency personnel successfully evacuated 213 people from the building, two individuals later died after being transported to a hospital for medical treatment. The remaining 26 people, who were initially reported missing, were subsequently confirmed dead.

Media additions

Visual records of the tragedy broadcast by state media depicted a scene of significant destruction. Footage showed flames tearing through multiple levels of the structure, with thick black smoke billowing into the sky. Individuals were observed appearing to seek refuge on the building's rooftop as the fire spread, while other segments of the facility were seen with windows charred black. Emergency response efforts were extensive. The Ministry of Emergency Management dispatched 183 personnel and 35 vehicles to the site, and state media reported that the total number of individuals participating in the search and rescue operations eventually exceeded 500. By 4 p.m. Local time on Thursday, 9 July 2026, firefighters had largely managed to extinguish the open flames, though smoke remained a persistent issue into the evening.

Preliminary investigations have identified the ground floor as the point of origin. Local officials noted that the presence of highly flammable shoe-making materials and chemical adhesives likely contributed to the rapid intensification of the fire. Furthermore, rescue operations faced extreme difficulty due to the presence of large quantities of items piled into the building's stairwells, which severely obstructed the paths intended for firefighting teams. CCTV noted that the atmosphere at the scene was pungent and caused eye irritation among those working on the site.

In response to the scale of the disaster, Chinese President Xi Jinping issued a directive demanding an all-out search and rescue effort. He characterized the incident as causing significant casualties and heavy human losses, while calling for authorities to ensure that those responsible are held strictly accountable. Following these instructions, the factory’s owner and other relevant personnel have been taken into custody. the company's bank accounts have been frozen as the investigation into the cause of the fire continues.

This incident is the latest in a series of industrial tragedies within the country. Government records show that in 2025, there were nearly 20,000 workplace accidents, resulting in 18,261 deaths. Previous notable disasters mentioned by authorities include a residential fire in Guangdong province that killed 12 people, an explosion at a fireworks plant in Changsha that killed at least 37 people, and a fire at a construction site in Xinyu that killed 39 people.