Key facts
- A fire at the Huiteng Shoes factory in Jinjiang, China, killed at least 28 people.
- President Xi Jinping demanded a swift investigation and accountability for those responsible.
- The blaze started on the first level of a five-floor building, with flammable shoe components fueling the fire.
- The factory's owner and managers were arrested, and company accounts frozen.
- Workplace safety is a persistent issue in China, with other recent fatal industrial incidents.
A fire at the Huiteng Shoes factory in Jinjiang, China, killed at least 28 people, prompting President Xi Jinping to demand a swift investigation and accountability for those responsible. The blaze began on the first level of a five-floor concrete building, where a workshop and warehouse were located. Highly flammable shoe components piled in stairwells hindered firefighters and contributed to the fire's rapid spread, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
When the fire started, 237 factory workers and two visitors were in the building. Of the 213 people rescued, two were pronounced dead after hospital admission, and another 26 missing individuals were later confirmed dead. The factory's owner and managers have been arrested, and the company's accounts frozen. Jinjiang is considered the "shoe capital" of China, producing about a fifth of the world's athletic shoes.
Workplace safety remains a persistent problem in China. In May, an explosion at a fireworks plant killed at least 37 people, and a fire at a refrigeration facility killed 39 people earlier in 2024. Official data indicate 18,261 people died in nearly 20,000 workplace accidents across the country in 2025.