Fire at Fujian Shoe Factory Kills 28, Marks One of China's Deadliest Industrial Disasters in Recent Years

A devastating fire broke out at Huiteng Shoes Co. in Jinjiang, Fujian province on July 9, 2026, around noon local time, killing 28 people and leaving 26 others missing. The facility housed 237 workers and 2 visiting delivery personnel at the time of the blaze. Rescue teams evacuated or rescued 213 people from the scene, with 2 of those rescued dying after hospitalization. Over 500 rescue personnel and 183 firefighters with 35 vehicles responded to the emergency, largely extinguishing the flames by late afternoon.

Investigations revealed that the fire originated on the ground floor in the punch press workshop and storage area. The primary fuel was shoe manufacturing materials stored throughout the building, which are highly flammable and accelerated the fire's spread. The five-story reinforced concrete structure contained shoe material stockpiles, semi-finished and finished shoe inventory, assembly lines, and sewing workshops across its floors. The pungent odors from manufacturing chemicals and adhesives caused respiratory irritation at the scene.

Jinjiang is recognized as China's "shoe capital," with thousands of footwear manufacturers producing over 1.2 billion pairs of shoes annually—representing approximately 20% of global shoe production. The city is a major hub for footwear and apparel manufacturing in the coastal Fujian province. This disaster underscores persistent workplace safety challenges in China's industrial sector.

China's President Xi Jinping responded swiftly, demanding a comprehensive search and rescue effort and ordering a rapid investigation into the incident. He called for strict accountability of those responsible and emphasized that no effort should be spared in rescue operations and support for affected families. In response, the factory owner and other responsible personnel were detained and the company's accounts were frozen by authorities. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, though preliminary findings indicate the highly flammable nature of stored shoe materials contributed significantly to the rapid spread of flames.