Small Truck Catches Fire in Suhua Improvement Project's Renshui Tunnel; Driver Controls Blaze Before Firefighters Arrive

A small truck caught fire in the Renshui Tunnel on the Suhua Improvement Project (Highway 9) around 6:00 AM today. The driver used fire equipment inside the tunnel to control the blaze until firefighters arrived to extinguish it. The Directorate General of Highways resumed two-way traffic after inspecting the road and electrical facilities.

The 44-year-old driver, surnamed Wu, told police that while traveling from New Taipei City to Hualien, shortly after entering the Renshui Tunnel, he saw fire on the right side of the vehicle in his rearview mirror. He immediately pulled over and used a fire extinguisher, stating he did not know why it caught fire.

Wu Wang-ching-ho of the Hualien County Fire Bureau's Heren Branch stated that they received a report of a truck fire at the 156K+700 mark of the Renshui Tunnel near 7:00 AM. When they arrived, citizens had already used fire extinguishers to control the fire, and firefighters took over to fully extinguish it.

After the fire was extinguished, the Directorate General of Highways' Eastern Region Engineering Branch inspected the tunnel's road surface and electrical facilities, such as lighting, and resumed two-way traffic at 7:42 AM after confirming safety.

Lin Wen-hsiung, Director of the Eastern Region Engineering Branch, explained that the tunnels along the Suhua Improvement Project are equipped with advanced fire safety facilities, including fire extinguishers, hydrants, and emergency buttons every 50 meters, integrated with video detection systems for immediate notification to fire departments.

Lin reminded the public that in the event of an emergency fire, they should first try to use roadside fire equipment, but if the fire spreads, they should immediately leave the vehicle and evacuate toward the tunnel exit.