Wildfire in Northeastern Japan Forces More Evacuations as It Continues to Spread

By Staff, Agencies

A massive wildfire in Japan’s Iwate Prefecture continues to grow, prompting authorities to order the evacuation of over 100 additional households on Saturday.

This brings the total number of evacuees to more than 4,000 residents from approximately 1,900 homes, according to Kyodo News.

The fire, which ignited Wednesday afternoon in the Akasakicho district of Ofunato, has now scorched around 1,400 hectares of land, an increase from 1,200 hectares the day before.

Over 1,000 people have taken refuge in evacuation centers as the blaze threatens more communities.

Efforts to contain the fire have intensified, with six Self-Defense Force helicopters joining firefighting teams from multiple prefectures.

The disaster has already claimed one life and destroyed nearly 100 homes, making it Japan’s largest wildfire since the late 1980s.