At least 28 people were killed in a fire outbreak at a shoe factory in eastern China on Thursday.

China’s Ministry of Emergency Management said that a deadly fire broke out at the Huiteng Footwear factory in Jinjiang City, east China’s Fujian Province.

State media reported that 242 people were inside the building when the fire broke out on the factory’s ground floor, including 240 workers and two visitors.

Emergency services saved 213 people; two victims died after being taken to the hospital, and 26 others were found dead at the scene.

The fire also destroyed several production materials and equipment.

Investigators have arrested some of the factory’s owners and frozen the firm’s account.

President Xi Jinping called for an immediate investigation into the fire’s cause and an “all-out” search and rescue effort, emphasising that those responsible must be held accountable. 

In November 2025, over 100 people were killed after a residential complex went ablaze in Hong Kong, and a month later, another blaze resulted in 12 deaths in the Guangdong province.

The Chinese government has launched a campaign focused on eliminating fire outbreaks in high-rise buildings across the country.