Fire near Omori Station Suspends JR Service; 58,000 People Affected

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:43 JST, February 5, 2024

A fire broke out near JR Omori Station in Ota Ward, Tokyo, at around 10:10 a.m. on Sunday, causing East Japan Railway Co.’s trains to suspend service.

According to the Tokyo Fire Department, the fire occurred in an area in front of Omori Station where buildings and stores are densely packed. It burned a total of about 35 square meters in three buildings, including a three-story building with a ramen restaurant. A man in his 20s was taken to the hospital with burns and a woman in her 90s suffered injuries to her face when she tripped over a fire hose. The Omori police station of the Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the cause of the fire.

According to JR East, the fire forced a Keihin Tohoku Line train to stop between Omori and Kamata stations. About 50 minutes after the train stopped, around 800 passengers descended to the tracks via ladders and followed the guidance of station staff to a nearby railroad crossing.

The Keihin Tohoku Line and Tokaido Line were suspended for about 3 hours and 20 minutes on both the inbound and outbound lines. A total of 23 trains were suspended, affecting about 58,000 people.