Japan's tunnel fires highlight why drivers should not pass the flames

An eight-hour expressway closure and a driver's account of intense heat lead into practical evacuation guidance from a highway operator.

Channel: Nippon TV News ·

JapanStory of October 28, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of 日テレNEWS's most watched videos since yesterday, with 149,249 views.

日テレNEWS: The news division of Nippon TV, a Japanese commercial television network. 3.4M subscribers and 6.3B views.

【相次ぐトンネル火災】新東名高速では“8時間封鎖”も　危険なトンネル火災“逃げ方”は

Things we can learn from the video

Press to jump

0:00A vehicle transporter burns inside the Kawasaki Koro Tunnel; the report says nobody was injured.
0:44A second truck fire in the Numazu Tunnel leads to an extended Shin-Tomei Expressway closure.
1:55A motorist describes poor visibility, intense heat and difficulty identifying the tunnel exit.
5:33Iwasaki locates emergency phones and green exit doors; an operator explains how to contact control staff.
6:23The report demonstrates slide-type evacuation and explains how to assist injured people toward an emergency exit.
7:09The operator advises stopping rather than passing a burning vehicle, then evacuating with the vehicle's key left behind.

Smoke can fill the road beyond a burning vehicle, making an attempt to drive past it dangerous. That is the central warning from a highway operator in Japan's Nippon Television News report on two tunnel fires on October 27.

On the Bayshore Route of the Shuto Expressway, a vehicle transporter caught fire inside the Kawasaki Koro Tunnel in the Yokohama-bound direction. The report says flames came from the truck's cab, the fire was extinguished after about an hour, and nobody was injured. The route serves the Tokyo Bay area, connecting waterfront districts through bridges and underwater tunnels.

A separate fire broke out near a large truck's tires inside the Numazu Tunnel on the westbound Shin-Tomei Expressway in Shizuoka Prefecture. The driver said the tires caught fire while the truck was moving and that he stopped on the tunnel's shoulder.

A motorist who recorded footage inside the tunnel described seeing a fire warning before entering. Passing the burning truck, the motorist felt intense heat even inside the car and struggled to identify the exit amid poor visibility. The account illustrates how quickly a familiar stretch of road can become difficult to navigate.

The Shin-Tomei section between Nagaizumi-Numazu and Shin-Fuji interchanges remained closed for roughly eight hours, reopening at 3:30 p.m., according to the report.

The broadcast then revisits the deadly 1979 Nihonzaka Tunnel fire and evacuation drills before reporter Yo Iwasaki examines emergency phones and green emergency-exit doors in a Shuto Expressway tunnel.

A highway representative explains that instructions inside the emergency-phone cabinet allow users to contact control staff. The report also demonstrates a slide-type evacuation exit and explains routes leading to the surface. For an injured person, the guidance is to help them toward an emergency exit if possible without overexertion, then wait for highway patrol staff.

The operator's final instruction is not to overtake a burning vehicle: stop and evacuate, leaving the vehicle's key behind so it can be moved. Beyond the fire, the representative warns, smoke may already have filled the tunnel.

Published on Trari