Comprehensive safety crackdown launched after Quanzhou footwear blaze

Local authorities in Quanzhou, East China's Fujian province, pledged on Friday to enforce a comprehensive safety crackdown and rigorous investigation following a tragic footwear factory fire that claimed 28 lives on Thursday.

The response measures were announced at a news conference a day after the fire broke out around noon on Thursday at a factory belonging to Fujian Huiteng Shoes in Jinjiang, a county-level city in Quanzhou. Over 500 rescuers evacuated 213 people, but 26 individuals were found dead, and two others died in the hospital.

Quanzhou Mayor Cai Zhansheng bowed in deep apology, saying "The cost of the accident is extremely painful, and the lesson is profoundly deep."

Moving forward, the city government intends to prioritize hidden risk elimination, conduct a structural safety assessment of the building to prevent secondary disasters, and advance compensation and counseling, he said.

Xu Zhihui, head of Quanzhou's fire and rescue bureau, said the rescue operation faced critical constraints because the affected five-story concrete frame workshop featured a large single-floor span, while narrow surrounding roads severely restricted the operational space for vehicles with elevating platforms.

The rescue was further complicated by the fact that the factory stored massive amounts of highly flammable materials, including shoe components and glue, leading to an instantaneous spread of high-temperature smoke and a full-scale multi-dimensional combustion after the firefighters had arrived, Xu added. Workers trapped on the roof faced severe threats from the blazing material stacks, while sudden shifts in wind direction during the operation further escalated escape and rescue difficulties.

To ensure safety and stability, Quanzhou will immediately target labor-intensive manufacturing sectors, including footwear, textiles, and luggage, to eliminate underlying risks, he said.