China’s fire safety landscape showed marked improvement in 2025 with substantial reductions in both fire incidents and associated casualties, according to official data released by the National Fire and Rescue Administration. The comprehensive statistics reveal a nationwide total of 841,000 fires throughout the year, representing a notable 7.6 percent decrease compared to 2024 figures.
Spokesperson Wang Wei presented the annual fire safety report at a Tuesday press conference, detailing significant reductions in human casualties alongside the decline in fire occurrences. Fatalities dropped by 9.5 percent while injuries saw an even more substantial reduction of 19.6 percent. Despite these improvements, direct property losses experienced a marginal increase of 1.8 percent, reaching 8.53 billion yuan (approximately $1.24 billion).
The firefighting infrastructure demonstrated remarkable activity levels throughout the year, with records showing 25.93 million firefighter deployments and 4.699 million fire engine dispatches. Wang emphasized that “more than half of these dispatches were specifically allocated to firefighting and rescue operations,” highlighting the diverse emergency response capabilities of China’s fire services.
Analysis of three-year statistical trends identified persistent patterns in fire causation and location. Residential fires continue to pose significant challenges, accounting for nearly 30 percent of all annual fires and approximately 80 percent of structure fires. Electrical system failures and careless fire usage remain the predominant causes of these incidents.
In response to these findings, the administration has advocated for expanded installation of early detection and alarm systems in residential settings. Particular emphasis has been placed on protecting vulnerable demographics, including elderly individuals living alone and “left-behind” children whose parents work in distant locations.