22 killed in fire at restaurant in China's Liaoyang City; video shows scenes of devastation

A deadly fire broke out at a restaurant in northeastern China on Tuesday, killing 22 people and injuring three others, according to Chinese state media.

The fire started just after noon in Liaoyang City, located in Liaoning Province. The restaurant was situated near the Sanlizhuang resettlement housing area in the city’s Baita District.

A video shared online and verified by AFP showed a two-storey restaurant on fire, with thick black smoke rising into the sky.

22 people dead and 3 injured after a #fire broke out at a restaurant near a resettlement housing complex in Liaoyang, #Liaoning Province. The investigation is ongoing. #China pic.twitter.com/AfFQ2zPS12

— Shanghai Daily (@shanghaidaily) April 29, 2025

Verified videos on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, showed paramedics taking a victim into an ambulance on a stretcher and firefighters using hoses to fight the flames.

“At 12:25 pm (0425 GMT) on April 29, a fire broke out at a restaurant near the Sanlizhuang resettlement housing in Baita District, Liaoyang City, Liaoning Province,” state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Emergency teams rushed to the scene, and authorities confirmed that 22 people had lost their lives in the incident.

According to CCTV, state broadcaster, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that the blaze had caused "significant casualties" and that the lessons from it were "profoundly serious."

The report added that Xi called for "every effort to treat the injured, properly handle the aftermath for the deceased and provide support to their families, swiftly determine the cause of the fire, and pursue accountability in accordance with the law. "