Fire damages Bridgestone's Tosu tyre plant in Japan. All 148 workers evacuate safely, with production impact unconfirmed.
Bridgestone has reported a fire at its Tosu tyre manufacturing facility in Saga Prefecture, Japan, which damaged parts of the factory buildings and production equipment.
The fire broke out at approximately 7:30pm local time on Sunday 8 November 2026, in the plant's tyre vulcanisation process, where tyres are cured under heat and pressure.
According to a statement issued by Bridgestone on 9 November, firefighters extinguished the blaze at 11:19pm, almost four hours after it began.
All 148 employees working at the factory during the incident were evacuated as a precaution. No injuries were reported, and Bridgestone confirmed that residents in the surrounding community did not need to evacuate.
The manufacturer said that parts of the factory buildings and equipment had been damaged, although the extent of the damage has not been disclosed.
Police and fire authorities are investigating the cause.
The Tosu plant began operations in July 1970 as Bridgestone's sixth domestic tyre manufacturing facility.
It produces passenger car and light commercial vehicle tyres, specialising in premium, ultra-low-profile and high-performance products, including tyres for sports cars.
The factory is an established part of Bridgestone's Japanese manufacturing network and supplies high-value tyres to international markets. Bridgestone also identifies Tosu as a centre for developing and sharing advanced production technologies across its global operations.
According to the company's latest statement, the facility occupies approximately 182,000 square metres and employed 789 people at the end of December 2025.
Previously published factory information cited by European Rubber Journal puts production capacity at approximately 18,800 tyres per day. This figure represents the site's reported manufacturing capacity, not an estimate of output affected by the fire.
Bridgestone has not confirmed whether the fire has interrupted production across the factory or only within the affected manufacturing areas.
The company has also not disclosed a timetable for repairing damaged equipment or returning any affected operations to normal.
There is currently no confirmed information about possible changes to tyre availability, customer deliveries or export shipments.
In its statement, Bridgestone apologised to local residents, customers and other stakeholders for the concern and disruption caused by the incident.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, with any operational consequences awaiting further clarification from the manufacturer.
Tags: Bridgestone, Bridgestone Tosu, Tosu factory fire, Japan tyre manufacturing, tyre factory fire, Bridgestone production, tyre vulcanisation, premium tyres, Saga Prefecture, tyre manufacturing disruption
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