Xi Jinping demands accountability after shoe factory fire kills 28 in China

The fire

The blaze broke out around noon on Thursday at the five-story Huiteng Shoes factory in Jinjiang, Fujian province. Large quantities of adhesives, foam, and rubber soles stored on the ground floor accelerated the flames, sending thick black smoke through the building. Workers fled to the roof as the lower floors were engulfed, with some filming their desperate wait for rescue.

We are on the upper floor, we can't get down.

Rescue efforts hampered

Fire chief Du Zhenzhou said stairwells and exits were blocked by piles of shoe materials, slowing firefighters' access to trapped workers. Local authorities deployed 183 personnel and 35 vehicles, later mobilizing over 500 responders. Live footage showed firefighters dousing the charred building while people huddled near windows and on the rooftop.

My men struggled to reach the top because exits and corners were blocked by piles of soles and other materials.

Xi Jinping's response

President Xi Jinping publicly addressed the disaster, calling for "all-out" rescue efforts and a swift investigation. He noted that China had already suffered several major industrial safety accidents this year and demanded that those responsible be held strictly accountable. Authorities detained the company's managers and froze its bank accounts.

The cause of the accident should be identified as soon as possible and... those responsible must be strictly held accountable.

A global sneaker capital

Jinjiang and its Chendai district form one of the world's largest shoe manufacturing clusters, producing roughly one in every five pairs of sneakers sold globally. The region churned out over 1.2 billion pairs in 2024, with more than 7,000 factories and workshops packed into just 39 square kilometers. Huiteng Shoes alone produced about one billion pairs annually and supplied brands including Zara and Prada.

A pattern of deadly accidents

The fire is the latest in a series of fatal industrial and building incidents in China. In May, a fireworks factory explosion in Hunan killed 37 people, and weeks later a coal mine blast in the north left 90 dead. A high-rise fire in Hong Kong last November claimed 168 lives, and a residential building fire in Guangdong in December killed 12.