In the northern Iwate region of Japan, over 4,600 residents remain under evacuation advisories due to the largest forest fire in three decades. The fire, which started near Ofunato, has killed at least one person and consumed around 5,200 acres of land since it began last week. Driven by climate change factors, including record low rainfall and last year's extreme heat, the blaze is being fought by over 2,000 firefighters and military helicopters. Approximately 84 buildings have been damaged, leading to significant evacuations and sheltering efforts for affected residents.
We are still examining the size of the affected area, but it is the biggest since the 1992 wildfire in Kushiro, FDMA spokesman Hokkaido told the AFP news agency on Saturday.
Although it is inevitable that the fire will spread to some extent, we will take all possible measures to ensure there will be no impact on people's homes, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said in parliament.
Footage from Ofunato on national broadcaster NHK showed orange flames close to buildings and white smoke billowing into the air.
Firefighters from 14 Japanese regions, including units from Tokyo, were tackling the blaze, with 16 helicopters including from the military trying to douse the flames.
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