Japan is currently grappling with its largest wildfire in over three decades, which has been ravaging a forested site in the small coastal city of Ofunato. As of Sunday, the fire has claimed at least one life, damaged numerous homes, and prompted evacuation orders for thousands of residents. The fire, spanning approximately 1,800 hectares, has been burning since Wednesday and expanded by an additional 400 hectares since Saturday, according to fire officials.
Originally detected on Wednesday afternoon by Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency, the blaze is stated to have already affected at least 84 homes by Wednesday night. The authorities confirmed finding a man’s body on the road the following Thursday morning, although no further details were provided.
Government-issued evacuation orders affected around 4,600 Ofunato residents, with approximately 1,200 seeking refuge in shelters as of Sunday morning. Nearly 1,700 firefighters from various prefectures have been deployed to combat the fire. NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster, captured footage of firefighting aircraft battling the inferno, with billowing smoke and raging flames a testament to the blaze’s ferocity.
As of yet, little information is available regarding the progress of fire containment efforts or any further structural damage since Wednesday. The fire agency was unreachable for comments, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The last forest fire of this magnitude occurred in Japan in 1992, burning over 1,000 hectares in the northern island of Hokkaido. The fire agency noted that Ofunato experiences its driest season from January to March, and last February recorded the lowest rainfall in over twenty years.
In addition, fire officials are tackling two smaller wildfires in other prefectures, one in Yamanashi and another in Nagano. The Yamanashi fire, beginning on Wednesday, expanded to 120 hectares by Saturday. Meanwhile, the Nagano fire, which initiated on Friday, reached 100 hectares by Sunday.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/02/world/asia/japan-wildfire.html
