Hundreds of residents in the northern Japanese city of Ofunato have been forced to evacuate their homes as firefighters battle to contain the country’s biggest forest fire in three decades.
The blaze has burnt about 2,100 hectares of forest since it started on Wednesday, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, reported Associated Press.
As per the agency, at least 84 homes have been damaged in the fire and over 1,200 people evacuated. The fire has been contained in some areas as over 2,000 troops and firefighter have been deployed from across the country.
On Thursday, a man was found dead on a road and authorities are probing if the death was linked to the fire.
26-27 February 2025#Japan
A large forest fire broke out in the Akasakicho district of Ofunato City Iwate Prefecture, becoming the third wildfire in the city this month
It has claimed one life, destroyed at least 84 buildings and forced the evacuation of more than 2,100 residents pic.twitter.com/Wr0QaE5sEV
— Vikky ger (@diar_esthetic) March 1, 2025
The report stated that the northeastern regions of the country, including Ofunato, have had their driest winter since 1946, when the Japan Meteorological Agency started collecting data.
While Ofunato typically experiences dry season from January to March, the area saw less rainfall last month than any February in more than 20 years – recording just 2.5 millimetres, compared to the usual average of 41, reported BBC.
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Firefighting Measures Underway
Thousands of firefighters from 14 prefectures, inclduing Tokyo, have been deployed to fight the fires as about 4,600 people remained under government-issued evacuation orders.
Some 2,000 have already left the area to stay with friends or relatives and over 1,200 have evacuated to shelters, as per officials, reported BBC.
At least 16 helicopters are also being used to douse the fire with images showing the aircraft dumping water onto the smouldered hills.
The fires are burning in a forest area of Iwate Prefecture, which is the country’s largest prefecture with Japan’s second-lowest population density.
Speaking in the Parliament, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba assured to minimise the effect of the fire on people’s homes.
“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,” he said.
