Firefighters worked to reach people trapped in a burning shoe factory in southeastern China on Thursday as state media reported an unknown number of casualties and President Xi Jinping suggested the blaze may have caused heavy loss of life, NBC News reports.
The fire broke out at around noon on Thursday (11 p.m. ET Wednesday) in the city of Jinjiang in Fujian province, with some people trapped on the rooftop, state broadcaster CCTV said.
It was not immediately clear how many have been killed or injured.
In a directive issued later on Thursday, Xi urged an all-out rescue effort and said the fire had “caused significant casualties”, suggesting the fire may have led to a heavy loss of life.
Videos released by CCTV in the afternoon showed flames engulfing the multi-storey 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 a.m. ET, a local firefighting official told CCTV. Fire and rescue teams dispatched 183 people and 35 vehicles to the site.
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