Screenshot of the notice issued by the office of Work Safety Committee of China's State Council posted on the official website of China's Ministry of Emergency Management on October 20, 2025

The office of the Work Safety Committee of China's State Council issued a notice on Monday aimed at preventing and curbing fire accidents that cause mass casualties at small catering venues. It calls on relevant authorities to strengthen systematic governance, thoroughly investigate and rectify fire hazards, and enforce regulations strictly, according to the notice posted on the official website of China's Ministry of Emergency Management on Monday.

In recent years, a series of severe fire and explosion accidents have occurred at small catering venues in places including Changchun, Northeast China's Jilin Province, Yinchuan, Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and Liaoyang, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, causing significant casualties. The lessons are profound, exposing problems such as lack of regulatory responsibility for small catering venues, inadequate safety management, poor safety conditions and low safety competence among employees, said the notice.

Small-scale catering venues must strictly assume the primary responsibility for fire safety, and designate one person responsible for fire safety. When management or operations are carried out by contracting, leasing, or entrustment, property owners or lessors must provide buildings that meet fire-safety conditions, and the parties should, in the contract, stipulate and perform their respective fire-safety duties in accordance with relevant regulations, according to the notice.

In prominent locations within areas where small catering or food-service venues are concentrated, relevant authorities should post notices of common risks and hazards, publicize complaint and reporting channels, encourage the public to report nearby safety hazards and carry out community-based prevention and control, according to the notice.

For venues where hidden risks are prominent and unlawful conduct is especially serious, relevant departments should deploy a range of measures including administrative, legal and market-regulatory ways to deal with them sternly in accordance with laws and regulations, said the notice.

Local fire departments should focus on safety evacuation, interior decoration, electrical and gas use and facility maintenance in small-scale catering venues as well, according to the notice.

Meanwhile, the local authorities can take into account the characteristics and realities of small catering venues, sort and adopt  practical and effective prevention measures. Local fire control departments, together with housing and urban-rural development, commerce, emergency management and other relevant departments, should make concerted efforts on prioritized prevention, evacuation and escape, early warning and initial response, according to the notice.

Global Times