Blaze at China's shoe factory leaves casualties

A fire at a shoe factory in southeastern China left casualties on July 9, as firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze ​and rescue people trapped inside, CNN reports.

The fire broke out at around noon (0400 GMT) on July 9 in the city of Jinjiang in ⁠Fujian province, with some people trapped on the rooftop. It was not immediately clear how many have been killed or ⁠injured.

Videos released by state TV showed flames engulfing the multi-story factory and thick black smoke billowing into the sky. Several people, apparently trapped by the blaze, could be seen on the ‌rooftop as smoke ⁠swirled around them.

Firefighting efforts were still underway, although open flames had largely been extinguished by about 5:40 p.m. (0940 GMT), a local firefighting official said. Fire and rescue teams dispatched 183 ​people and 35 vehicles to the site.

Preliminary findings indicate the ​fire started ‌on ​the ground floor of the factory, a local official said. Shoe-making materials stored in the building were highly flammable ⁠and could cause a blaze to spread rapidly, ​the official noted.

Due to the materials and adhesives present, the ​smell at the scene was ⁠quite pungent, causing eye irritation. Jinjiang, in the coastal Fujian province, is a major footwear and ⁠apparel ‌manufacturing hub and is often referred to as China’s “shoe capital.”

The thousands of companies in the city ‌made ‌over 1.2 ​billion pairs ​of shoes in 2024, accounting for 20% of global output, according to official data.

By Vafa Guliyeva