A blaze engulfed a five-story concrete workshop belonging to Fujian Huiteng Shoes at around noon on 9 July (last Thursday) in Chendai town, Jinjiang, a county-level city under Quanzhou and widely recognized as China’s “shoe capital”. Response teams evacuated and rescued 213 people from the burning structure, of whom two died in the hospital. Another 26 individuals were found dead on site. Rescue efforts were largely completed by 12:35 am the next day, with authorities now focusing on post-disaster arrangements and support for affected families.
The factory building where the incident occurred is a five-story reinforced concrete structure, with each floor covering about 1,300 square meters. The first floor houses the punching workshop and warehouse; the second floor is used for semi-finished shoe materials and finished shoe storage; the third floor contains the production lines; the fourth floor is the sewing workshop; and the fifth floor serves as a warehouse for the production lines.
The fire originated in the first-floor punching workshop. The rescue was further complicated by the fact that the factory had stored massive amounts of highly flammable materials, including shoe components and glue, leading to an instantaneous spread of high-temperature smoke with fire engulfing multiple floors by the time the firefighters arrived.
Authorities said the factory underwent a government-organized fire safety inspection on 7 July, two days before the blaze. Inspectors found serious problems with the disorderly storage of raw materials, semi-finished and finished products, and ordered rectification by 13 July. Inspectors had also required fire separation for combustible materials, minimum fire safety distances and designated fire compartments. However, many factory buildings have been converted from older structures rather than purpose-built industrial facilities, making compliance difficult.
At present, the Office of the Work Safety Commission has dispatched an on-site supervision team led by the National Fire and Rescue Administration to guide and oversee the investigation and handling of the incident. To ensure safety and stability, local authorities will immediately target labor-intensive manufacturing sectors like footwear, textiles, and luggage to eliminate underlying risks.
In manufacturing, safety isn’t optional. It’s essential for operations to run smoothly. Every injury, near miss, and shutdown caused by a preventable hazard creates real consequences. It puts workers at risk, stops production, damages morale, and hurts your bottom line. Most manufacturers are well aware of what is at stake. However, in reality, safety issues are often not discussed until after an accident has occurred. This reactive approach means that potential hazards remain unaddressed until someone is injured. True safety leaders go a step further by integrating risk awareness and preventive measures into every aspect of their operations.
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By Vivian Shi, Office Supervisor