The Gudvangatunnel is 11.4 km long and connects Gudvangen with the Aurland valley. It opened in 1991 and was Norway's longest tunnel until the Lærdalstunnel opened in 2000.
The tunnel has had several serious fires. In August 2013, a truck caught fire inside the tunnel. The smoke was ventilated in the wrong direction, trapping 67 people. 28 were hospitalised with smoke injuries, five of them serious. An investigation afterwards found major problems with the safety systems and communication.
Two years later, in August 2015, a tour bus caught fire just 300 metres inside the tunnel. This time a local hotel owner happened to be driving past, turned his van around, and evacuated 32 passengers. The tunnel was closed for several weeks.
A third fire occurred in March 2019 when another truck caught fire. 32 people were evacuated and four taken to hospital.
These incidents led to major safety upgrades across Norwegian tunnels, including new ventilation systems and evacuation chambers. If you're driving through, keep your headlights on, maintain distance from the vehicle ahead, and know that there are emergency telephones and fire extinguishers along the walls. In case of fire, the advice is to leave your vehicle and walk to the nearest exit.