At least 28 people died in a fire that swept through a shoe factory in southeastern China on Thursday, state media reported, one of the country's deadliest industrial blazes in recent years. The fire broke out around midday at the plant in Jinjiang, in Fujian province, a city so central to Chinese footwear manufacturing that it is often called the country's "shoe capital."
What happened
Chinese state media, cited by international outlets, said the blaze began on a lower floor of the multistory building and spread quickly through stockpiled shoe materials, which are highly flammable, Al Jazeera reported. Hundreds of people were reported to have been inside when the fire started; the great majority got out, but at least 28 were killed and others were injured. Footage carried by state broadcasters showed flames engulfing the structure and thick smoke pouring from it, with people seen on the roof. Newsparlor could not independently verify the toll, which authorities described as provisional.
The response
A large firefighting and rescue operation was mounted, with scores of firefighters and dozens of vehicles sent to the site and the blaze brought under control after several hours, the Boston Globe reported. China's leader, Xi Jinping, called for an all-out rescue effort and a full investigation, U.S. News reported. State media said people connected to the factory's ownership and management had been detained and company accounts frozen, steps Chinese authorities commonly take after major industrial accidents while responsibility is determined.
The cause
The cause of the fire was not immediately known and is under investigation. Early accounts pointed to the danger posed by the flammable materials used and stored in shoe production, which can turn a small fire into a fast-moving one, especially if exits or stairwells are obstructed. Whether safety rules were followed at the plant is among the questions investigators are expected to examine.
A recurring danger
Deadly fires and other accidents at factories and workshops remain a persistent problem in China, despite repeated government safety campaigns, and they often prompt crackdowns and promises of tighter enforcement afterward. Industrial accidents kill thousands of people in the country each year, according to official figures cited by Al Jazeera. For the families of those killed in Jinjiang, the investigation and its findings will matter, but so will a harder question that such disasters keep raising: why, after so many similar tragedies and so many pledges to prevent them, they keep happening.
