List of fires in China
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of notable fires in China, part of the series of lists of disasters in China.
This list includes Manchukuo.
Structural fire
Entertainment venues
Particularly fires in theatres and night clubs.
| Date, location | Name | Deaths, injured | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 February 1977, Khorgos, Xinjiang | 61st Regiment Farm fire | 694, 161[1] | A war movie was being shown at a hall during the Chinese New Year. A child set off a firecracker and ignited wreaths for the late Mao Zedong, which for over five months no one dared to dispose of. Most deaths were the children of the regiment at their military-agricultural colony. |
| 26 February 1937, Andong (now Dandong), Manchukuo | Manchurian Dance Club fire | 650, 28 | During a play, fire spread from a stove in the backstage room to the ceiling, which quickly spread to the lobby. A latch on the main entrance prevented attendees from escaping. |
| 8 December 1994, Karamay, Xinjiang | Karamay fire | 325, 130[2] | Students were entertaining visiting officials at a theatre. When the fire broke out, students were ordered to remain seated to allow officials to walk out first. |
| 25 December 2000, Luoyang, Henan | Luoyang Christmas fire | 309, 7[3] | Sparks caused by welders triggered a fire in the basement, construction workers and retail staff evacuated, forgetting about the nightclub patrons trapped in the upper floors of the building. |
| 27 November 1994, Fuxin, Liaoning | Yiyuan Disco fire | 233, 4 | A sofa caught fire from a lit cigarette and newspaper, the fire spread and the buildings quickly collapsed. One of the escape doors was locked, which contributed to the high death toll. |
| 29 March 2000, Jiaozuo, Henan | Paradise Cinema fire | 74, ? | A fire broke out at an adult cinema. The high death toll was attributed to the owner sealing the entrance to avoid police intrusions.[4] |
| 24 April 1995, Ürümqi, Xinjiang | Ürümqi karaoke club fire | 51, ? | A fire broke out at an illegal karaoke club. The club, which had been ordered to shut down a week prior, had exits that were blocked or too narrow, which exacerbated the death toll.[5] |
| January 2024, Xinyu, Jiangxi | 2024 Jiangxi mall fire | 39, 9 | The fire broke out in the basement of a shopping mall.[6] |
| July 2024, Zigong, Sichuan | 2024 Sichuan mall fire | 16, ? | The fire broke out at a shopping mall.[7] |
| October 2020, Taiyuan, Shanxi | 2020 Taiyuan theme park fire | 13, 15 | The fire broke out at a theme park.[8] |
| April 2021, Chizhou, Anhui | 2021 Chizhou mall fire | 4, ? | The fire broke out at a shopping mall.[9] |
Non-entertainment venues
Most fires from 1949 to 1979 were not notable due to lack of records.
| Date, location | Name | Deaths, injured | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 January 1878, Tianjin | Tianjin soup kitchen fire | 2 000[10] | The gate of the soup kitchen was always locked to prevent the hunger from causing social unrest, which prevented evacuation in case of fire. |
| February 1975, Haicheng, Liaoning | Haicheng earthquake | 341, 980[11] | The earthquake evacuees lived in self-made tents, which caught fire.[12] |
| 15 February 1959, Yanyuan, Sichuan | Longtang Reservoir fire (under-construction) | 197, 86[13] | Fire started when all the staff were attending a meeting. |
| 5 January 1960, Tongren, Guizhou | Tongren Airport fire (under-construction)[14] | 175, 5 | A fire broke out during construction at the Tongren Fenghuang Airport. It is the deadliest airport fire in China. |
| 8 January 1965, Yuli, Xinjiang | Second Tarim Field fire | 172, 10[15] | Most of the deaths were sent-down youth from Shanghai in the 35th Regiment at their military-agricultural colony.[16] |
| 19 November 1993, Shenzhen, Guangdong | Zhili toy factory fire | 87, 47 | Managers of the factory blocked exits and windows to avoid workers stealing toys, which exacerbated the death toll.[17][18][19] |
| 13 December 1993, Fuzhou, Fujian | Gaofu textiles warehouse fire | 61, ? | A fire started from the fourth floor of the warehouse and spread to workshops and dormitories. It was caused by arson.[20] |
| 15 February 2004, Wufeng, Zhejiang | Wufeng temple fire | 41, 3 | Burning incense ignited the bamboo, causing a fire which scorched the temple within three minutes. Two victims died of their injuries in the hospital.[21] |
| 22 April 2000, Qingzhou, Shandong | Qingzhou chicken processing plant fire | 38, ? | A fire broke out at a chicken processing plant.[22] |
| 30 June 2000, Jiangmen, Guangdong | Jiangmen fireworks factory fire | 38, ? | A fire broke out at a fireworks factory in Jiangmen, which then caused an explosion.[22][23] |
| 27 November 1996, Shanghai | Shanghai residential building fire | 36, ? | Two mentally disabled men committed arson at a residential building.[24] |
| 13 February 1997, Shenzhen, Guangdong | Shenzhen bus fire | 33, ? | A fire broke out on a bus driving 65 migrant workers to Dongguan.[25] |
| 21 September 1997, Jinjiang, Fujian | Jinjiang shoe factory fire | 32, ? | A disgruntled worker set fire to a shoe factory.[22] |
| 13 March 1995, Anshan, Liaoning | Anshan hotel fire | 28, 12 | A hotel on the top floor of a department store caught fire.[26] |
| 16 June 2002, Haidian district, Beijing | Lanjisu internet cafe fire | 25, 13 | Disgruntled youngsters set fire to a crowded two-story internet cafe in Beijing's university district after being banned. This was the deadliest fire in Beijing in more than 50 years. |
| April 2025, Liaoyang, Liaoning | 2025 Liaoyang restaurant fire | 22, 3 | The fire broke out at a restaurant.[27] |
| 30 March 2003, Qingdao, Shandong | Qingdao Chia Tai fire | 21, ? | A fire broke out at a food processing plant. The building collapsed and trapped workers inside.[28] |
| 26 December 1999, Changchun, Jilin | Changchun bathhouse fire | 20, ? | A fire broke out in a bathhouse in the basement of a hotel in Changchun.[29] |
Forest fires
| Date, location | Name | Deaths, injured | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| May–June 1987, Heilongjiang | Black Dragon fire | 193, 226 | Bureaucratic leadership led to the extremely slow response to the fire.[30][31][32][33] |
| March–April 2019, Muli County, Sichuan | 2019 Muli forest fire | 30, ? | The majority of the fatalities were firefighters.[34] |
| March 2020, Xichang, Sichuan | 2020 Xichang forest fire | 19, 3 | All but one of the fatalities were firefighters.[35] |
| March 2019, Qinyuan County, Shanxi | 2019 Qinyuan forest fire | 6, 1 | All of the casualties were firefighters.[36] |
Urban conflagration
Over the history of China, three cities stood out to have suffered from repetitive urban conflagrations, including Jiankang during the Northern and Southern dynasties, Hangzhou during Song dynasty and Chongqing between late Qing and the early republic.[37][38]