28 killed in shoe factory fire in China's Fujian

Firefighters worked to reach people trapped in a burning shoe factory in southeastern China on Thursday as state media reported at least 28 people were killed.

The fire broke out at around noon (0400 GMT) on Thursday in the city of Jinjiang in Fujian province, with some people trapped on the rooftop, state broadcaster CCTV said.

In a directive issued later on Thursday, President Xi Jinping urged an all-out rescue effort and said the fire had "caused significant casualties".

Videos released by CCTV in the afternoon showed flames engulfing the multi-storey factory and thick black smoke billowing into the sky.

Fire and rescue teams dispatched 183 people and 35 vehicles to the site.

Preliminary findings indicate the fire started on the ground floor of the factory, a local official told CCTV.

Shoe-making materials stored in the building were highly flammable and could cause a blaze to spread rapidly, the official said.

Due to the materials and adhesives present, the smell at the scene was quite pungent, causing eye irritation, CCTV said.

Jinjiang, in the coastal Fujian province, is a major footwear and apparel manufacturing hub and is often referred to as China's "shoe capital".

The thousands of companies in the city made over 1.2 billion pairs of shoes in 2024, accounting for 20 per cent of global output, according to official data.

Twenty-eight people have been killed following a fire at a shoe factory in Jinjiang City, east China's Fujian Province, on Thursday, local authorities said. #XinhuaNews pic.twitter.com/FDg5VmWvDL

— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) July 9, 2026