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, injuredDescription18 February 1977, Khorgos, Xinjiang 61st Regiment Farm fire 694, 161 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 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 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 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 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.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.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, injuredDescription6 January 1878, Tianjin Tianjin soup kitchen fire 2 000 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颤抖的地球—地震科学 (2005). Researched by CEA seismologists 冯万鹏,薑文亮,龚丽霞,公茂盛,胡进军; Revised by CEA seismologists 王文清,续春荣,张宝红; Edited by CEA chiefs 谢礼立,张景发. Tsinghua University Press. Pages XIII, 162. The earthquake evacuees lived in self-made tents, which caught fire.Photos of such tents taken in 1976 can be found in: 15 February 1959, Yanyuan, Sichuan Longtang Reservoir fire (under-construction) 197, 86 Fire started when all the staff were attending a meeting.5 January 1960, Tongren, Guizhou Tongren Airport fire (under-construction) 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 Most of the deaths were sent-down youth from Shanghai in the 35th Regiment at their military-agricultural colony.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.13 December 1993, Fuzhou, FujianGaofu textiles warehouse fire61, ?A fire started from the fourth floor of the warehouse and spread to workshops and dormitories. It was caused by arson.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, Shandong Qingzhou chicken processing plant fire 38, ? A fire broke out at a chicken processing plant.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.27 November 1996, Shanghai Shanghai residential building fire 36, ? Two mentally disabled men committed arson at a residential building.13 February 1997, Shenzhen, Guangdong Shenzhen bus fire 33, ? A fire broke out on a bus driving 65 migrant workers to Dongguan.21 September 1997, Jinjiang, Fujian Jinjiang shoe factory fire 32, ? A disgruntled worker set fire to a shoe factory.13 March 1995, Anshan, Liaoning Anshan hotel fire 28, 12 A hotel on the top floor of a department store caught fire.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, Liaoning2025 Liaoyang restaurant fire22, 3The fire broke out at a restaurant.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.26 December 1999, Changchun, Jilin Changchun bathhouse fire 20, ? A fire broke out in a bathhouse in the basement of a hotel in Changchun.

Forest fires Date, locationNameDeaths, injuredDescriptionMay–June 1987, Heilongjiang Black Dragon fire 193, 226 Bureaucratic leadership led to the extremely slow response to the fire.中国青年报著名“三极记者”叶研谈“红色的警告”, 2011-07-07, China Youth Daily. An excerpt was published as ：March–April 2019, Muli County, Sichuan2019 Muli forest fire30, ?The majority of the fatalities were firefighters.March 2020, Xichang, Sichuan2020 Xichang forest fire19, 3All but one of the fatalities were firefighters.March 2019, Qinyuan County, Shanxi2019 Qinyuan forest fire6, 1All of the casualties were firefighters. p. 4

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.

See also List of disasters in China by death toll List of fires

References