Eight people died and one was injured in a fire at a denim-washing factory in Foshan, China, state media reported. Two Bangladesh factory incidents that day killed at least 10 workers and injured more than 135, highlighting gaps in apparel-industry safety coverage.
The two-story Foshan site in Changxing Industrial Park was used for denim washing and related production. The cause remains under investigation, Xinhua said; firefighters extinguished the blaze in just over an hour. CCTV reported 63 people were rescued or evacuated, and flames did not spread beyond the site. In Bangladesh’s Ashulia, the Sept. 20 explosion and fire at Pretty Composite Textile Limited killed at least nine and injured 35; a separate fire at Fahami Group Industry triggered a stampede that killed one and injured more than 100.
Two weeks earlier, a record 300 global brands and retailers signed the legally binding International Accord for garment and textile safety. Programs run only in Bangladesh and Pakistan; the framework automatically renews through 2029 and allows expansion. Scott Nova said the Accord covers 1,760 factories—about one-third of Bangladesh’s registered export-oriented garment factories—while most global apparel supply remains unregulated. Officials said an unauthorized fleet of vans loaded with CNG cylinders supplied boiler gas at Pretty Composite, a setup possibly beyond ordinary factory inspections. Nova said Fahami never received Accord inspections or remediation because its signatory buyer apparently stopped sourcing there.
