China shoe factory fire kills 28, rescuers search for trapped workers

A fire that tore through a shoe factory in eastern China on Thursday killed at least 28 people, state media said, after scores of fire and rescue personnel raced to extinguish the blaze.

Hours after the fire broke out at the Huiteng Shoes factory around noon (0400 GMT), authorities feared people were still trapped inside the building in Jinjiang city, Fujian province.

President Xi Jinping said the fire resulted in “heavy human losses”, with state news agency Xinhua later citing a preliminary toll of 28 dead.

Footage shared by state television CCTV showed firefighters dousing the facade and interior of a large, multi-storey white building with fire hoses, as thick black smoke poured out.

People could be seen taking refuge near the windows and on the roof of the building, while the blaze raged in the lower floors.

The Ministry of Emergency Management said in a statement that fire and rescue teams dispatched 183 people and 35 vehicles to the scene.

Xi, in remarks carried by Xinhua, called for increased search and rescue efforts.

‘All-out’ efforts

Du Zhenzhou, the Jinjiang fire chief, told state media his personnel struggled to reach the upper levels of the building because stairwells and exits were blocked with shoe materials.

He said the factory housed adhesives and raw materials used in manufacturing shoes that fuelled the fire.

Live footage aired by CCTV showed the charred building with thick grey smoke billowing from broken windows.

“The cause of the accident should be identified as soon as possible and… those responsible must be strictly held accountable,” Xi said.

The blaze was being extinguished, the emergency management ministry said late Thursday afternoon, demanding “all-out” efforts to put it out, search for trapped survivors and treat the injured.

Some people were trapped and “out of contact”, Xinhua said.

Xi in remarks after the blaze began, noted there had been “several major industrial safety accidents” in China so far this year.

“All regions and relevant departments must draw profound lessons from these incidents,” he said, adding that they should “implement rigorous and effective safety measures”.

China launched a campaign against fire hazards in high-rise buildings in November, after a huge blaze engulfed several tower blocks in Hong Kong, killing 168 people.

A month later, a fire at a residential building in southern China’s Guangdong province killed 12 people.

In May, a blast at a fireworks factory in central China killed 37 people, marking one of the nation’s deadliest industrial accidents in years.