In recent years, various large- and medium-sized shopping malls have been essential components of each city with the speed-up of China’s urbanization process and the improvement of residents’ living standard. A method for evaluating fire risk in shopping malls based on quantified safety checklist and structure entropy weight method was proposed according to related literatures as well as laws and regulations by analyzing the characteristics of fires occurring in shopping malls in recent years. At first, the factors influencing the fire risk in shopping malls were determined by carrying out on-site survey and visiting related organizations to construct an evaluation index system for fires occurring in shopping malls; afterwards, a quantified safety checklist composed of four parts (i.e. safety grade, grade description, scoring criterion and index quantification) was established based on related laws and regulations; subsequently, index weights were determined by utilizing structure entropy weight method, thus putting forward a method for assessing fire risk in shopping malls based on quantified safety checklist and structure entropy weight method. Eventually, the applicability of the evaluation method was validated exampled by Wal-Mart. The research result provides a theoretical basis for further improvement of the theoretical system for fire risk evaluation in shopping malls, and also exerts practical and guidance significance on timeous and effective early warning as well as prevention and control of building fires.