Japan fights forest fire, which forces 1,200 people to evacuate

Japan fights forest fire, which forces 1,200 people to evacuate

In Japan, you fight a forest fire that has damaged several dozen houses and forced hundreds of residents to evacuate. The fire has spread since Wednesday in the northeastern coastal city of Ofunato and has so far affected about 2,100 hectares of forest space, as the fire brigade and civil protection authority reports.

Overview of the damage

According to the authority, at least 84 houses were damaged and over 1,200 people had to be evacuated. The fire has now subsided in some areas. More than 2,000 soldiers and firefighters from all over the country were mobilized to cope with the situation.

victim of the fire

On Thursday, a man was found dead on a street. The authorities are now examining whether death is connected to the fire, according to the authority.

weather conditions tighten the location

The northeastern regions, including ofunato, have experienced their driest winter since 1946, the year in which the Japanese weather authority has started the data collection. These extreme weather conditions could have contributed to the intensity of the forest fires.