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House fire by tracks disrupts bullet train services

May 04, 2018 (Japan Today) - Tokaido line shinkansen (bullet train) services between Nagoya and Gifu-Hashima stations were disrupted for about 20 minutes on Thursday morning after a fire broke out in a house beside the tracks in Kiyosu, Aichi Prefecture.

According to JR Central, which operates the Tokaido line, trains were halted at 11:17 a.m., after black smoke from the fire poured over the tracks, hampering visibility, Fuji TV reported.

The fire destroyed a two-story wooden house beside the tracks. A 65-year-old woman who lives in the house managed to get out and was taken to hospital where she is in a stable condition, police said.

Train services resumed at around 11:40 a.m.

Thursday is the beginning of the second half of the Golden Week holidays. Most shinkansen trains were packed, according to rail operators.

Source: ANNnewsCH

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