List of fires in China


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, locationNameDeaths, injuredDescription
18 February 1977, Khorgos, Xinjiang61st Regiment Farm fire694, 161A 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), Manchukuo650, 28During 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, XinjiangKaramay fire325, 130Students 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, HenanLuoyang Christmas fire309, 7Sparks 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, Liaoning233, 4A 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, HenanParadise Cinema fire74, ?A fire broke out at an adult cinema. The high death toll was attributed to the owner sealing the entrance to avoid police intrusions.
24 April 1995, Ürümqi, XinjiangÜrümqi karaoke club fire51, ?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.
January 2024, Xinyu, Jiangxi2024 Jiangxi mall fire39, 9The fire broke out in the basement of a shopping mall.
July 2024, Zigong, Sichuan2024 Sichuan mall fire16, ?The fire broke out at a shopping mall.
October 2020, Taiyuan, Shanxi2020 Taiyuan theme park fire13, 15The fire broke out at a theme park.
April 2021, Chizhou, Anhui2021 Chizhou mall fire4, ?The fire broke out at a shopping mall.

Non-entertainment venues

Most fires from 1949 to 1979 were not notable due to lack of records.
Date, locationNameDeaths, injuredDescription
6 January 1878, TianjinTianjin soup kitchen fire2,000The 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, LiaoningHaicheng earthquake341, 980The earthquake evacuees lived in self-made tents, which caught fire.
15 February 1959, Yanyuan, SichuanLongtang Reservoir fire 197, 86Fire started when all the staff were attending a meeting.
5 January 1960, Tongren, GuizhouTongren Airport fire 175, 5A fire broke out during construction at the Tongren Fenghuang Airport. It is the deadliest airport fire in China.
8 January 1965, Yuli, XinjiangSecond Tarim Field fire172, 10Most of the deaths were sent-down youth from Shanghai in the 35th Regiment at their military-agricultural colony.
19 November 1993, Shenzhen, GuangdongZhili toy factory fire87, 47Managers of the factory blocked exits and windows to avoid workers stealing toys, which exacerbated the death toll.
15 February 2004, Wufeng, ZhejiangWufeng temple fire41, 3Burning incense ignited the bamboo, causing a fire which scorched the temple within three minutes. Two victims died of their injuries in the hospital.
22 April 2000, Qingzhou, ShandongQingzhou chicken processing plant fire38, ?A fire broke out at a chicken processing plant.
30 June 2000, Jiangmen, GuangdongJiangmen fireworks factory fire38, ?A fire broke out at a fireworks factory in Jiangmen, which then caused an explosion.
27 November 1996, ShanghaiShanghai residential building fire36, ?Two mentally disabled men committed arson at a residential building.
13 February 1997, Shenzhen, GuangdongShenzhen bus fire33, ?A fire broke out on a bus driving 65 migrant workers to Dongguan.
21 September 1997, Jinjiang, FujianJinjiang shoe factory fire32, ?A disgruntled worker set fire to a shoe factory.
13 March 1995, Anshan, LiaoningAnshan hotel fire28, 12A hotel on the top floor of a department store caught fire.
16 June 2002, Haidian district, BeijingLanjisu internet cafe fire25, 13Disgruntled 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, Liaoning2025 Liaoyang restaurant fire22, 3The fire broke out at a restaurant.
30 March 2003, Qingdao, ShandongQingdao Chia Tai fire21, ?A fire broke out at a food processing plant. The building collapsed and trapped workers inside.
26 December 1999, Changchun, JilinChangchun bathhouse fire20, ?A fire broke out in a bathhouse in the basement of a hotel in Changchun.

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.