Monday, 09 June 2025
Monday, 09 June 2025
Japan is fighting a forest fire that has damaged dozens of homes and forced hundreds of residents to evacuate in a northeastern coastal city.
The fire has burned about 2,100 hectares (5,190 acres) of forest in Ofunato since it started Wednesday, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.
The agency said at least 84 homes have been damaged, and over 1,200 people evacuated. The fire has subsided in some areas. More than 2,000 troops and and firefighters have been deployed from across the country.
A man was found dead on a road Thursday, and authorities are examining if the death was linked to the fire, the agency said.
The last forest fire of this scale in Japan burned more than 1,000 hectares on the northern island of Hokkaido in 1992, a fire agency spokesperson said Sunday, the Japan Times reported.
Ofunato’s driest season is typically from January to March, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Last month was the driest February there in more than two decades.
The cause of the fire was under investigation, the agency said.
Two other fires were also burning Saturday, one in Yamanashi and another elsewhere in Iwate.
The fires are burning in a forest area of Iwate Prefecture, which is Japan's second largest prefecture and has the country's second-lowest population density.
More than 80 buildings are estimated to have been damaged so far, although FDMA noted that details are still being assessed.
"Although it is inevitable that the fire will spread to some extent, we will take all possible measures to ensure there will be no impact on people's homes," Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said in parliament.
Thousands of firefighters from 14 prefectures, including Tokyo, have been dispatched to fight the fires. At least 16 helicopters are also being used, with images showing the aircraft dumping water onto the smouldering hills.
The blaze has caused power outages to more than 700 households in Ofunato and the neighboring village of Sanriku.
The train service connecting the two has been suspended for the entire day.
Like many other countries, Japan in 2024 recorded its hottest year since records began.
It is difficult to know if climate change has caused or worsened specific fires, because other factors - such as changes to the way land is used - are also relevant.
(inputs from agencies)
