The 1994 Karamay fire (simplified Chinese: 克拉玛依大火; traditional Chinese: 克拉瑪依大火; pinyin: Kèlāmǎyī Dàhuǒ) is considered one of the worst civilian fires in the history of the People's Republic of China. On December 8, 1994, a fire broke out in a theatre hosting 1,000 children and teachers in Karamay, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. During the fire, the students and teachers were ordered to remain seated to allow Communist Party officials to walk out first.[3] The fire killed 325, including 288 schoolchildren.[4]