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LIAOYANG, CHINA — A devastating fire ripped through a restaurant in northeastern China on Tuesday, killing 22 people and injuring three, according to state broadcaster CCTV. The blaze broke out around lunchtime in Liaoyang City, roughly 580 kilometers (360 miles) northeast of Beijing.
Dramatic footage verified by AFP and circulated on Chinese social media platforms like Douyin (China’s version of TikTok) showed flames engulfing the two-storey structure and thick smoke billowing into the sky. Several clips also captured firefighters battling the inferno, and paramedics attending to victims being rushed into ambulances.
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President Xi Jinping Responds
Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed deep concern over the “significant casualties,” calling the tragedy’s lessons “profoundly serious.” In a statement broadcast by CCTV, Xi called for:
- Urgent medical care for the injured
- Support and compensation for the families of the deceased
- A swift and transparent investigation into the fire’s cause
- Full legal accountability for those responsible
“Every effort must be made to treat the injured, handle the aftermath with compassion, and prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future,” Xi said.
Eyewitnesses and Local Reaction
Despite the intensity of the fire, the restaurant’s neighboring businesses continued operating during the incident. A woman working at a nearby restaurant told AFP that she only learned of the fire through news reports and didn’t realize the scale of the tragedy until later.
“We weren’t aware of it and continued on normally,” she said, adding that sirens were heard, and police remained at the scene afterward. “It definitely was very tragic.”
A Pattern of Deadly Incidents
Fires causing mass casualties are not uncommon in China, often due to lax enforcement of building regulations, poor fire safety practices, and insufficient emergency preparedness.
This incident underscores a troubling trend of public safety lapses in commercial and residential buildings, prompting renewed calls for stricter inspections and better workplace safety enforcement.
Authorities have not yet released an official cause of the fire, but local investigations are underway. Over a dozen fire engines were dispatched to the scene, and rescue operations concluded later that day.
As the nation mourns the loss of life, the tragedy has ignited a broader conversation on fire safety oversight and the need for systemic reforms to prevent such incidents in the future.
