Japan battles largest wildfire in 3 decades as evacuations grow

Firefighters are struggling to contain Japan’s largest wildfire in more than three decades as flames spread across approximately 1,200 hectares (3,000 acres) of forest in northern Japan, officials said Saturday.

The fire in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, which began Wednesday, has already claimed one life and forced more than 1,000 residents to evacuate their homes.

“We’re still examining the size of the affected area, but it is the biggest since the 1992 wildfire” in Kushiro, Hokkaido, a Fire and Disaster Management Agency spokesman told AFP. That previous record-setting blaze burned 1,030 hectares.

Aerial footage from public broadcaster NHK showed white smoke engulfing an entire mountainside as approximately 1,700 firefighters from across the country have been mobilized to battle the flames.

Local police discovered the body of one person who had been burned on Thursday. More than 80 buildings had been damaged as of Friday, according to Ofunato municipal authorities.

The cause of the fire remains unknown.

Two additional wildfires were also burning Saturday—one in Yamanashi Prefecture and another elsewhere in Iwate.

Officials noted that Ofunato has received only 2.5 millimeters (0.1 inches) of rainfall this month, putting the area on track to fall significantly below the previous February record low of 4.4 millimeters set in 1967.

The drought conditions come as Japan recorded its hottest year on record in 2023, reflecting global patterns associated with rising greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.

Government data shows Japan experienced approximately 1,300 wildfires in 2023, with most occurring between February and April when air becomes drier and winds intensify. However, the overall number of wildfires has declined since peaking in the 1970s.