As the fire continues to rage in northern Iwate, approximately 4,600 residents remain under evacuation advisories, with at least one person killed by the flames last week.
On Monday, officials confirmed that around 4,600 individuals are under evacuation advisories due to the ongoing fire in the northern Iwate region, which has already claimed one life.
The fire, which originated near the city of Ofunato, is occurring after a record-breaking dry spell in the region, coupled with Japan experiencing its hottest summer on record in the previous year, a trend possibly exacerbated by climate change.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba stated in parliament, “While it is expected that the fire will spread to some degree, we will implement all possible measures to prevent any impact on people’s residences.”
Since its inception on Thursday, the fire has ravaged approximately 5,200 acres (2,100 hectares) of land, marking it as the most extensive wildfire in Japan since the 1992 fires in Kushiro, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency (FDMA) on Monday.
“The extent of the affected area is still under assessment, but it is clear that this is the largest fire since 1992,” a FDMA spokesperson from Hokkaido informed the AFP on Saturday.
Firefighters from 14 regions of Japan, including units from Tokyo, are actively working to extinguish the flames, with 16 helicopters—including ones from the military—deployed to douse the blaze.
As of Sunday, the fire has destroyed an estimated 84 buildings, with officials continuing to assess the extent of the damage.
Over 2,000 individuals have left the area to stay with friends or relatives, while more than 1,200 have sought refuge in evacuation shelters, according to officials.
Footage from Ofunato aired on national broadcaster NHK showed flames nearing buildings and white smoke ascending into the sky.
While the frequency of wildfires in Japan has declined since the 1970s, the nation still experienced about 1,300 such incidents in 2023, with the majority occurring between February and April when the air turns drier and winds strengthen.
Ofunato experienced just 2.5mm (0.1 inches) of rainfall in February, shattering the prior record low for the month of 4.4mm in 1967, and falling below the usual average of 41mm.
The connection between climate change and certain types of extreme weather is well-documented, including heatwaves and heavy rainfall. Other events such as droughts, snowstorms, tropical storms, and forest fires can arise from a complex mix of factors.
