Fire trucks spray water to cool down the accident site after a fire broke out at a shoe factory in Jinjiang City, Fujian Province in Eastern China on July 9, 2026, leaving heavy casualties. Photo: Xinhua

Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged full efforts in search-and-rescue operations after a fire at a shoe factory caused major casualties Thursday in Jinjiang City, east China's Fujian Province, Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said in an instruction that efforts must be made to identify the cause of the accident and hold those responsible strictly accountable.

Noting that multiple major workplace safety accidents have occurred in the country since the beginning of this year, Xi required all regions and relevant departments to draw profound lessons from these accidents, better coordinate development and security, and remain constantly vigilant about workplace safety, per Xinhua.

Efforts must be made to thoroughly identify and root out all types of safety risks and hidden hazards, ensure that workplace safety measures are implemented meticulously, resolutely prevent major and serious accidents, and effectively safeguard people's lives and property, Xinhua reported.

The fire, which broke out at around 12 pm on Thursday, has killed 28 people as of press time, Xinhua reported, citing local authorities. 

At approximately 12:04 pm on Thursday, a fire broke out at Huiteng Shoe Industry Co., Ltd in Chendai town. 

A total of 183 firefighters and 35 fire engines were sent to the scene. As of now, the open flames have been extinguished, and the exact cause is still under investigation. Firefighters said that a large amount of clutter had been piled up in the factory building's stairwells, severely hampering firefighting efforts and hindering rescue operations, according to China Central Television (CCTV) News in its latest coverage of the development.

The company's head and relevant personnel have been placed under investigation, and the company's accounts have been frozen, a staff member surnamed Xie from the local publicity department told the Global Times in a phone interview at around 10 pm. He also said the fire had been brought under control, with all open flames extinguished at around 3 pm on Thursday afternoon, while firefighters remained at the site for follow-up operations.

"After the fire, the site still requires further handling, such as continuous cooling to prevent secondary or subsequent disasters. That is why firefighting forces have not yet withdrawn," the staff said.

Firefighters, medical personnel and other emergency responders remained at the scene to continue rescue and response efforts. "Workers and others who have been confirmed safe have already been guided to a secure area for further arrangements and follow-up procedures. Those still at the scene are mainly emergency personnel, including firefighters and medical workers," he said.

The rescue operation is still ongoing, according to Xie. A staff member from the Fujian Provincial Emergency Management Department also told the Global Times Thursday evening that the city's major officials and officials in charge of relevant departments rushed to the scene immediately after the fire broke out. Emergency management, fire rescue, public security and health authorities in Jinjiang remained at the site to coordinate response efforts, while a deputy director-general of the provincial emergency management department had also arrived at the scene.

Several social media users with IP locations in Fujian posted photos and videos from the scene, showing flames on the roof of a building and thick smoke billowing into the sky. Some users said they had witnessed helicopter-assisted rescues there. In response, Xie, a staff member from the local publicity department, confirmed to the Global Times that helicopter had indeed been deployed during the day to evacuate people from the rooftop.

A Xiaohongshu user with the username "yukiko", whose IP location shows Fujian, told the Global Times Thursday evening that her mother works at a company nearby and told the family that employees there had witnessed the rescue operation, including the use of helicopters.

"The fire site is about eight kilometers from my home, but we could still see extremely thick smoke from the blaze during the day. I also saw many ambulances heading there on my way to work today. I know the roads around the shoe factory area have always been narrow, which may have made it difficult for fire trucks to enter," she said.

Factory, town and industry

Xinhua previously reported that Chendai, a town under Jinjiang City, has been dubbed "China's Shoe Capital." Covering 38.84 square kilometers, the town is home to more than 7,000 footwear manufacturers and related upstream and downstream enterprises. It has nurtured several leading domestic sportswear brands, with annual sports shoe output exceeding 1 billion pairs and annual output value of finished shoes surpassing 50 billion yuan ($6.9 billion)

Jinjiang is one of China's leading footwear manufacturing hubs and the world's production base for sports shoes. According to official records, Jinjiang's footwear and apparel industry generated an annual output value exceeding 250 billion yuan ($36.74 billion) in 2024, with annual sports shoe production surpassing 1.2 billion pairs — accounting for 20 percent of global output.

Xinhua reported, citing information obtained from the scene, that the factory building is a five-story reinforced concrete structure, with each floor covering about 1,300 square meters. The first floor houses the punching workshop and warehouse; the second floor is used for semi-finished shoe materials and finished shoe storage; the third floor contains the production lines; the fourth floor is the sewing workshop; and the fifth floor serves as a warehouse for the production lines. 

The fire originated in the first-floor punching workshop, where the materials involved were shoe components, which are highly flammable and can allow flames to spread quickly, according to the report.