{"id":1579,"date":"2026-07-10T07:07:41","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T07:07:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=1579"},"modified":"2026-07-10T07:07:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T07:07:41","slug":"a-shoe-factory-fire-that-killed-28-highlights-chinas-persisting-worker-safety-risks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=1579","title":{"rendered":"A shoe factory fire that killed 28 highlights China\u2019s persisting worker safety risks"},"content":{"rendered":"
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BEIJING (AP) \u2014 Authorities were investigating a blaze at a shoe factory in southeastern China\u2019s Fujian province that killed 28 people, raising renewed concern over worker safety. <\/p>\n

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The state-run Xinhua News Agency said Friday that a search had ended while an investigation was underway into the cause of the fire Thursday that gutted the Fujian Huiteng factory in Jinjiang, a manufacturing hub for sports shoes. <\/p>\n

According to product listings on online sales and import platforms, Fujian Huiteng makes shoes for both Chinese and foreign brands. <\/p>\n

Local media footage showed people trapped on the roof of the five-floor building, enveloped in thick black smoke, while the spray from fire truck hoses fell short of flames showing through windows on its upper floors. Xinhua said the factory\u2019s owner and managers were arrested and the company\u2019s accounts were frozen.<\/p>\n

When the fire started, 237 factory workers and two visitors were in the building. Two of the 213 people rescued from the factory were pronounced dead after being taken to hospitals. Another 26 missing people were later confirmed dead, according to state broadcaster CCTV.<\/p>\n

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Work safety has been a persistent problem in China. In May, an explosion at a fireworks plant<\/span> in the city of Changsha in the central province of Hunan killed at least 37 people. In 2024, a fire at a refrigeration facility under construction<\/span> killed 39 people in the city of Xinyu in the southeastern Jiangxi province. <\/p>\n

Authorities have repeatedly ordered businesses to screen for workplace hazards. Official data show 18,261 people died in nearly 20,000 workplace accidents across the country in 2025, down from the previous year.<\/p>\n

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Chinese President Xi Jinping<\/span> demanded a swift investigation of the disaster and said authorities would \u201cstrictly hold those responsible accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jinjiang has thousands of shoe factories and is considered the \u201cshoe capital\u201d of China, making about a fifth of all athletic shoes, more than a billion a year, according to state media and industry reports.<\/p>\n

The area\u2019s transformation from small workshops and factories into an export industry hub, which Xi has often referred to as the \u201cJinjiang Experience,\u201d is considered a model for China\u2019s ascent as a world manufacturing power. <\/p>\n

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CCTV said the fire started on the first level of the concrete-structured building, where a workshop and a warehouse were located. <\/p>\n

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