Japan’s largest wildfire in over three decades is raging through a forested area of Ofunato, a small coastal city, following the death of at least one individual and damage to numerous homes. The fire has led to evacuation orders affecting thousands of residents, as reported by fire officials.
The wildfire, which covers approximately 1,800 hectares (4,500 acres), has been burning since Wednesday and has expanded by 400 hectares since Saturday. Ofunato is located on the east coast of Japan’s main island, roughly 300 miles northeast of Tokyo.
According to Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency, the blaze was first reported on Wednesday afternoon, with at least 84 homes sustaining damage by that evening. Reports indicate that a man's body was discovered on a road on Thursday morning by police conducting checks in the area, and local authorities confirmed his death without providing additional details.
The government issued evacuation orders for about 4,600 residents on Wednesday. As of Sunday morning, around 1,200 individuals were reported to be in shelters.
Nearly 1,700 firefighters from 14 prefectures have been deployed since Wednesday to combat the fire. Video footage from NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster, captured firefighting aircraft operating over large plumes of smoke, with orange flames visible among the trees.
As of now, it remains unclear how effectively fire crews have contained the blaze or if there has been further structural damage since Wednesday. The fire agency has not been available for comments regarding the situation.
The cause of the wildfire is currently under investigation, according to the agency.
The last significant forest fire in Japan occurred in 1992, burning over 1,000 hectares on the northern island of Hokkaido, as noted by a fire agency spokesperson.
Additionally, fire officials in Japan are managing two smaller wildfires. One, in Yamanashi prefecture, began on Wednesday and had grown to 120 hectares by Saturday. The second, located in Nagano prefecture, started on Friday and reached 100 hectares by Sunday.