Truck Fire Closes Kan-Etsu Tunnel on June 14, Disrupts Traffic

By Huzaifa Zahoor

June 14, 2026

10:11 AM

2 min read

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Key Points

Truck fire closed Kan-Etsu Tunnel on June 13 at 4 p.m.

Both upbound and downbound lanes shut for approximately 4 to 5 hours.

Fire crews extinguished blaze and removed vehicle by evening.

No injuries reported during incident.

Both lanes reopened by 9 p.m. on June 13.

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A truck caught fire inside the Kan-Etsu Tunnel on Japan’s Kan-Etsu Expressway on June 13 at 4 p.m., forcing both directions to close. NEXCO East Japan shut down the upbound lane from Yuzawa IC to Minakami IC and the downbound lane from Tsukiyono IC to Yuzawa IC. No injuries were reported. Fire crews extinguished the blaze and removed the vehicle by evening.

What Happened on the Expressway

A truck caught fire in the Kan-Etsu Tunnel’s upbound lane at approximately 4 p.m. on June 13. NEXCO East Japan immediately closed both directions of the tunnel to prevent further danger. The upbound lane closure stretched from Yuzawa IC to Minakami IC, while the downbound closure ran from Tsukiyono IC to Yuzawa IC.

Fire Extinguished and Traffic Restored

Fire crews extinguished the blaze within hours. The upbound lane reopened at approximately 8 p.m., and the downbound lane reopened at approximately 9 p.m. on June 13. NEXCO East Japan reported no injuries during the incident. Vehicle removal and cleanup work continued after the fire was contained.

Impact on Regional Transportation

The tunnel closure disrupted traffic between Niigata and Tokyo, two major population centers. The Kan-Etsu Expressway is a critical route for commercial and passenger traffic in central Japan. NEXCO East Japan confirmed that fire suppression efforts proceeded smoothly, allowing both lanes to reopen within five hours of the initial incident.

Final Thoughts

The truck fire caused a brief but significant disruption to a major expressway corridor. Both lanes reopened by 9 p.m., limiting long-term impact on regional traffic flow.

FAQs

When did the truck fire start?

The truck caught fire at approximately 4 p.m. on June 13 inside the Kan-Etsu Tunnel’s upbound lane.

How long was the tunnel closed?

The upbound lane reopened at 8 p.m. and downbound at 9 p.m., resulting in a closure of approximately 4 to 5 hours.

Were there any injuries?

No injuries were reported from the truck fire incident, according to NEXCO East Japan.

Disclaimer:
The content shared by Meyka AI PTY LTD is solely for research and informational purposes. Meyka is not a financial advisory service, and the information provided should not be considered investment or trading advice.

About Author

Huzaifa Zahoor

Co Founder

Huzaifa Zahoor is the engineer who built Meyka. He has spent years writing Python, training AI models, and building data pipelines specifically for financial markets. His technical articles have reached over 30,000 readers on Medium, so he knows how to make complex things easy to follow. If this article touches on how the tools work, he is the person who actually built them.