Nearly 1,700 firefighters are engaged in a fierce battle against Japan’s most significant forest fire in 30 years, with about 4,600 residents under evacuation advisories. The blaze, which has claimed one life, erupted last week in the northern Iwate region, exacerbated by record low rainfall and last year’s hottest summer on record.
The fire, raging near the city of Ofunato, has consumed approximately 2,100 hectares (5,200 acres) since its outbreak on Thursday. Firefighters from 14 regions, including units from Tokyo, have joined forces, supported by 16 helicopters—some deployed by the military—to combat the flames.
By Sunday, the fire had damaged 84 buildings, with ongoing assessments to determine the full extent of the destruction. In response to the threat, around 2,000 people have sought refuge with friends or family, while more than 1,200 have taken shelter in designated facilities.
Early morning footage from Ofunato broadcasted by NHK displayed dramatic scenes of orange flames threatening structures and thick white smoke rising into the sky.
While the number of wildfires in Japan has generally declined since peaking in the 1970s, approximately 1,300 incidents were reported in 2023 alone, largely occurring between February and April during the drier, windier months. Ofunato experienced a mere 2.5 millimeters (0.1 inches) of rainfall in February, shattering the previous record low of 4.4 millimeters set in 1967 and falling drastically below the typical average of 41 millimeters.
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