Casualties reported after shoe factory fire in China’s Fujian, state media says

‌A fire at a shoe factory in southeastern China left casualties on Thursday, state broadcaster CCTV reported, as firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze ​and rescue people trapped inside.

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

Videos released by CCTV 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 told CCTV. 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 told CCTV. Shoe-making materials stored in the building were highly flammable ⁠and could cause a blaze to spread rapidly, ​the official said.

Due to the materials and adhesives present, the ​smell at the scene was ⁠quite pungent, causing eye irritation, CCTV said. 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.

Some information for this report was gathered via edition.cnn.com.