Authorities in China are investigating a deadly fire at a shoe factory in Fujian province that killed 28 people, once again drawing attention to the country’s long-standing workplace safety challenges.
State-run Xinhua News Agency reported Friday that a search operation had concluded and an investigation into the cause of Thursday’s blaze was now underway. The fire destroyed the Fujian Huiteng factory located in Jinjiang, a major hub for sports shoe manufacturing.
Product listings on online retail and import platforms indicate that Fujian Huiteng produces footwear for both Chinese and international brands.
Video footage from local media captured a harrowing scene — workers stranded on the roof of the five-story building, surrounded by thick black smoke, while fire hoses struggled to reach the flames visible through upper-floor windows. Xinhua reported that the factory’s owner and managers were taken into custody and the company’s financial accounts were frozen.
At the time the fire broke out, 237 factory employees and two visitors were inside the building. Of the 213 people who were rescued, two later died at the hospital. An additional 26 individuals who had been reported missing were subsequently confirmed dead, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Workplace safety has remained a stubborn problem throughout China. In May, an explosion at a fireworks plant in Changsha, in the central province of Hunan, killed at least 37 people. In 2024, a fire at a refrigeration facility under construction in Xinyu, in the southeastern province of Jiangxi, took 39 lives.
Despite repeated government orders for businesses to identify and address workplace hazards, official figures show that 18,261 people died in nearly 20,000 workplace accidents across China in 2025 — a decrease from the prior year.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for a rapid investigation into the disaster, stating that authorities would “strictly hold those responsible accountable.”
Jinjiang is home to thousands of shoe manufacturers and has earned the nickname the “shoe capital” of China. The city produces roughly one-fifth of all athletic footwear globally — more than a billion pairs annually — according to state media and industry reports.
The region’s growth from small workshops into a major export powerhouse, which Xi has frequently referenced as the “Jinjiang Experience,” is widely regarded as a symbol of China’s rise as a global manufacturing leader.
CCTV reported that the fire originated on the building’s ground floor, where both a workshop and a warehouse were situated. A local fire department official told the state broadcaster that shoe sole materials that had been stacked in stairwells blocked firefighters from accessing the flames. Those shoe materials were described as highly flammable.
According to CCTV, fire crews deployed 183 personnel and 35 vehicles to the scene, and open flames were brought under control after approximately four hours. Xinhua later reported that more than 500 people participated in the overall rescue and search effort.
