We consider the Cauchy problem for the three-dimensional, compressible radiation hydrodynamic equations. We establish the existence and uniqueness of local strong solutions for large initial data satisfying some compatibility condition. The initial density need not be positive and may vanish in an open set. Moreover, we establish a Serrin-type blow-up criterion, which is stated in terms of the velocity and density variables [Formula: see text] and is independent of the temperature and the radiation intensity.