People evacuated
Biggest forest fire in decades rages in Japan
Japan is currently battling the largest forest fire it has seen since the 1980s. The flames are raging in the north-east of the country, an area of around 3600 soccer pitches has already been destroyed and more than 1000 people have already had to be evacuated.
The fire that broke out last week in Ofunato in Iwate Prefecture has now spread to more than 2,600 hectares, as the Japanese television station NHK reported, citing the prefectural administration.
According to CNN, more than 1200 people have already had to be evacuated. Around 80 buildings have already been destroyed by the flames. Over 2000 soldiers and firefighters from all over the country are being deployed to fight the fire.
Helicopter drops water
Thick white smoke can be seen above the mountain forest to the north-east of Ofunato Bay. A Defense Force helicopter has been dropping water since early Tuesday morning, according to NHK. On Thursday, a man was found dead on a road - the authorities are currently investigating whether the death is connected to the fire.
Devastating tsunami in the region 14 years ago
According to the Fire and Disaster Prevention Agency, it was the largest forest fire in Japan since the late 1980s, reported the Kyodo news agency. The Tohoku region, which includes Iwate Prefecture, was hit by a severe earthquake and powerful tsunami almost 14 years ago to the day. The disaster on March 11, 2001 killed around 20,000 people and triggered a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
During a parliamentary session, Japan's head of government Shigeru Ishiba promised to "use all the capabilities of the fire department and self-defense forces to prevent people's homes from being affected". According to Kyodo, the firefighters who had gathered in Iwate from all over the country had previously succeeded in preventing the flames from spreading to residential areas in Ofunato.
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