On July 27, 2026, the former head of the Shanghai Fire Rescue Brigade, Li Weimin, was investigated for serious violations of discipline and law. Three months earlier, Guo Liu Hu, the Director of Logistics Support Department of the National Fire Rescue Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party, fell from power. Subsequently, several provincial-level officials of fire rescue brigades in various provinces were also investigated.
The disciplinary inspection and supervision website of the Central Discipline Inspection Commission of the Communist Party of China reported based on information from the Discipline Inspection and Supervision Team of the Emergency Management Department and the Discipline Inspection Commission of Zhejiang Province that Li Weimin, the former Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Head of the Fire Rescue Brigade in Shanghai, is currently under investigation.
Public records show that Li Weimin, born in 1965 in Suining, Sichuan, previously served as the Director of Fire Supervision Department of the Chongqing Public Security Fire Brigade. In April 2014, he became the Head of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Public Security Fire Brigade. In December 2018, he was appointed as the Head of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Fire Rescue Brigade. In May 2019, he assumed the position of Head of the Shanghai Fire Rescue Brigade and Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee. In July 2020, he became a member of the Party Committee and Deputy Director of the Shanghai Emergency Management Bureau, as well as the Head of the Shanghai Fire Rescue Brigade and Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee. By August 2022, he was further promoted as the Deputy Secretary and Deputy Director of the Shanghai Emergency Management Bureau, continuing to serve as the Head of the Shanghai Fire Rescue Brigade and Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee before stepping down in 2024.
Before this, on April 28, 2026, Guo Liu Hu, the Director of the Logistics Support Department of the National Fire Rescue Bureau of the Communist Party of China, was implicated as well.
Guo Liu Hu previously held positions such as Assistant Officer of the Sixth Division of the Fire Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security, Deputy Director of the Financial Department of the Fire Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security, and Director of the Audit Department of the Fire Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security. In May 2016, he was appointed as Political Commissar of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Public Security Fire Brigade. After the establishment of the Emergency Management Department and the Fire Rescue Bureau in 2018 and 2019, Guo Liu Hu became the Director of the Equipment Department of the Emergency Management Department Fire Rescue Bureau, eventually rising to become the Director of the Logistics Support Department of the National Fire Rescue Bureau. In 2021, he also concurrently served as the Chairman of the National Firefighter Protective Equipment Technical Committee.
According to a report from the mainland news website “Today’s Headlines,” Guo Liu Hu was the “steward” of the entire fire system, handling matters such as the provision and maintenance of equipment for hundreds of thousands of firefighters nationwide, procurement of rescue equipment, construction of fire stations, approval of information technology projects, and allocation of annual budgets. In 2024 alone, the National Fire Rescue Bureau’s expenditure on fire rescue operations reached 36.67 billion RMB.
On January 31, 2026, Wang Xiangxi, the Secretary of the Party Committee and Minister of the Emergency Management Department, who also held the additional position of the first Political Commissar of the National Fire Rescue Bureau, was also investigated.
According to the discipline inspection website report, following Guo Liu Hu’s downfall, since late May 2026 after several high-ranking officials in the fire system were also implicated, including:
– Tang Yi, Secretary of the Party Committee and Political Commissar of the Yinchuan City Fire Rescue Support Team in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (June 22, 2026);
– Li Ruifeng, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Zhejiang Fire Rescue Brigade (June 17, 2026);
– Nong Youliang, former Secretary of the Party Committee of the Sichuan Fire Rescue Brigade (June 11, 2026);
– Wen Guokun, Member of the Party Committee and Deputy Head of the Hunan Fire Rescue Brigade (May 26, 2026);
– Zhu Yaming, Deputy Head of the Jiangsu Fire Rescue Brigade (May 18, 2026);
– Wang Weixuan, Secretary of the Party Committee and Political Commissar of the Zhanjiang City Fire Rescue Support Team in Guangdong Province (May 13, 2026).
In a report by “China News Weekly” on September 11, 2025, a total of more than 20 “fire tigers” had been implicated consecutively from 2021 to September 2025. The report mentioned that fire supervision and law enforcement involve administrative power and discretionary power, making it more susceptible to corruption. Additionally, the significant amount of money involved in the procurement of fire vehicles and equipment has led many officials implicated in corruption to exploit this situation for personal gain. Several “double opening” notices of dismissed fire officials contained similar statements, indicating the abuse of fire law enforcement powers for personal benefit, especially in obtaining benefits from fire project approval and acceptance processes.