Fujian’s Huiteng Shoe Co., Ltd. experienced a major fire outbreak in its factory on the afternoon of the 9th. Due to blocked “escape routes,” many workers had to flee to the rooftop for safety. Following the fire, a witness revealed that multiple bodies were retrieved from the rooftop water tank.
According to mainland Chinese media, Nanfeng Window, a worker named Zhang Erlong (alias), was doing renovation work in a two-story apartment behind the Huiteng shoe factory. During lunchtime that day, he noticed the factory emitting smoke and flames, prompting him to immediately dial 110 to report the incident.
The fire escalated rapidly, engulfing the entire building in crimson flames, accompanied by the sound of glass shattering due to the intense heat. Upon the glass breaking, Zhang saw iron bars installed on the windows and debris piled up in the corridors. After observing the scene for an hour, he did not witness anyone escaping from the building’s rear side.
Later, in videos circulating online, many individuals were seen trapped on the factory’s rooftop. However, when Zhang arrived at the scene around 2 p.m., there were no longer people on the rooftop. Onlookers informed him that as the fire worsened, many sought refuge in the rooftop water tank.
The fire was only brought under control after 4 p.m., with firefighters subsequently ascending the building. The shop owner, Li Long’an, near the shoe factory, stated that about twenty firefighters were gathered at the rooftop water tank, constantly retrieving bodies from inside and carrying them downstairs after being wrapped up.
Li estimated that the water tank was roughly around ten square meters. During his presence at the scene, he witnessed firefighters retrieving six bodies from the water tank. They were still in the process of recovery when they were evacuated. Li commented, “When we left, the firefighters were still retrieving bodies.”
State-run media reported that most of the victims in this incident were trapped on the rooftop. Additionally, two individuals attempted to escape by jumping from the rooftop but tragically succumbed to their injuries. According to reports, at least 28 people lost their lives in the fire.
A woman who had worked as a temporary worker in the factory shared with Nanfeng Window that the factory’s workers mainly came from Sichuan, Jiangxi, Guizhou, and other regions. Generally, those leaving at noon were mainly the workers involved in production, while those trapped were mostly young workers in their thirties and forties involved in machining parts.
Jinjiang, known as the “China Shoe Capital,” is home to over seven thousand shoe manufacturing enterprises and affiliated businesses. As per Li’s disclosure, a few months before this fire, another shoe factory had caught fire in the same city but had fortunately not resulted in any casualties.
A report from China Economic Net in 2023 revealed that Jinjiang’s shoe industry had encountered 45 fire incidents in the past 12 years, averaging nearly 4 incidents annually.