Factory Fire in Jinjiang Kills at Least 28 Workers

Overview

• The fire broke out around midday on Thursday at the Huiteng shoe factory in Jiangtou village, Jinjiang, and officials say 239 people were inside when the blaze began.
• Rescue teams sent 183 personnel and 35 vehicles and largely extinguished open flames by late afternoon, but at least 28 people were confirmed dead and dozens were injured.
• Preliminary investigations say the fire started on the ground floor and spread quickly because of highly flammable shoe-making materials and stairways blocked by stacked goods that hindered escape.
• Local authorities have detained company personnel and frozen the firm’s bank accounts as Beijing ordered a speedy probe and demanded those responsible be held to account.
• Jinjiang is a major global shoe-making hub that produced more than 1.2 billion pairs in 2024, and the disaster could trigger tighter safety inspections and regulatory enforcement across the manufacturing cluster.