Fire officials said Japan’s largest wildfire burned Sunday in a forested area of a small city, killing at least one person, damaging dozens of homes and prompting thousands of residents to evacuate orders.
A fire of about 1,800 hectares (4,500 acres) burned for several days in Ofunato, a city on the east coast of Japan’s main island, about 300 miles northeast of Tokyo. It has increased by 400 hectares since Saturday.
Japan’s fire and disaster management agency said it had learned about the fire on Wednesday afternoon and by Wednesday night, at least 84 homes had been damaged. Japanese media reported that police found a man’s body on the road Thursday morning while inspecting the area. Local authorities confirmed the man’s death, but provided no other details.
According to the fire department, the government issued an evacuation order to about 4,600 residents on Wednesday. As of Sunday morning, about 1,200 people were in the shelter.
Nearly 1,700 firefighters from 14 counties have been sent since Wednesday, according to city officials. Video footage from Japanese public broadcaster NHK shows fire planes hovering above the hovering of the forest as orange flames rage between the trunks.
It is unclear how much progress firefighters have made in curbing the fire or whether the fire has caused additional damage to the building since Wednesday. Fire service could not be contacted for comment.
The agency said the cause of the fire is under investigation.
The Japan Times reported that the last bushfire in northern Japan burned more than 1,000 hectares in Hokkaido, Kitashima in 1992.
According to the Japan Meteorological Bureau, the driest season in Ofunato is usually from January to March. Last month was the driest February in 20 years.
Japanese fire officials are also fighting two smaller wildfires on Sunday. According to the fire department, the first one was in Yamanaya Prefecture, west of Tokyo, which began on Wednesday and began to grow to 120 hectares by Saturday. The second is the northern part of Nagano, which starts on Friday and reaches 100 hectares by Sunday.
