Huiteng Footwear Factory Fire Kills 28 in Chinese Manufacturing Hub

A major fire at the Huiteng Footwear factory in Jinjiang, Fujian province, has killed at least 28 people, in one of the deadliest industrial incidents to hit the region in recent years. The blaze,…

A major fire at the Huiteng Footwear factory in Jinjiang, Fujian province, has killed at least 28 people, in one of the deadliest industrial incidents to hit the region in recent years. The blaze, which broke out shortly after noon on 9 July 2026, has raised urgent questions about fire safety standards in facilities that form a critical part of the global footwear supply chain.

Rescue Operation and Casualties

Emergency services received the first alarm at 12:04 p.m., dispatching 183 firefighters and 35 specialist vehicles to the five-storey factory. A helicopter was deployed to rescue workers trapped on the roof.

At the time of the fire, 237 workers and two visitors were inside the building. Fire crews successfully evacuated or rescued 213 people, but the remaining 28 were killed. The open flames were brought under control by 3:00 p.m.

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Blocked Escape Routes and Flammable Materials

Preliminary investigations suggest the fire started on the ground floor, where large quantities of flammable materials were stored. Du Zhenzhou, the local fire chief, said the blaze was heavily fuelled by adhesives and shoe-making components.

Crucially, investigators found that emergency stairwells had been obstructed by piles of shoe materials, severely hampering evacuation from the upper floors. President Xi Jinping has called for a full search and rescue operation and a thorough investigation, with those responsible to be held accountable for the heavy loss of life.

Company Detained and Accounts Frozen

In the immediate aftermath, Chinese authorities detained the head of the Huiteng Shoe Industry company and froze the organisation's bank accounts as part of the ongoing investigation.

Jinjiang is a critical node in the global footwear supply chain, producing an estimated 1.2 billion pairs of shoes in 2024 alone. The scale of the loss at the Huiteng facility marks one of the worst industrial disasters in Fujian in recent years.