Nearly 1,700 firefighters are fighting to bring Japan’s worst forest fire in 30 years under control, which has damaged some 2,100 hectares (5,200 acres) of land near the town of Ofunato in Iwate Prefecture.
Out of town advisories were given to 4,600 residents with more than 1,200 relocating to towns galore and 2,000 to friends and family. The blaze, which was fed by record-low rain and dry conditions, as already killed one person and destroyed 84 homes.
The battle to tame the outbreak involves 14 regions’ fire crews, supported by 16 helicopters, including military planes. National broadcaster NHK showed footage of flames nearing houses with thick smoke hanging in the sky. 
Otherwise, experts point to last year’s record heat and Ofunato’s driest February since 1967 — it got just 2.5mm (0.1 in) — as the main causes of the disaster. The country has seen a comprehensive decrease in wildfires since the 1970s, but around 1.3 thousand fires were observed in 2023, with the most surfaced dry and gusty February-April.
The assessment of the damage is ongoing with emergency teams struggling to fight from putting out the fire. As the situation is far from becoming stable, residence are warned to stay alert and follow evacuation orders. The government is keeping a very close eye on the situation as firefighters fight to save more homes from being destroyed.
