OTSUCHI: Hundreds of firefighters were battling wildfires in northern Japan’s forests on Saturday, as authorities urged more than 3,200 people to evacuate their homes, government officials said.
As of Saturday morning, fires in mountainous areas of the Iwate region had burned about 700 hectares (1,730 acres) since they broke out three days ago, local government officials said in a statement.
A large column of smoke, which could be felt 30 kilometers (20 miles) away, was seen rising from the valley near the town of Otsuchi as two helicopters dropped water on the burning forest.
In Otsuchi, fire trucks were spraying the forest near houses near the fire.
A dozen helicopters and more than 1,300 firefighters as well as soldiers from the Japan Self-Defense Forces will be mobilized on Saturday to fight the fires, the press release said.
At least eight buildings were burned but all residents were evacuated, according to the press release.
“We are making efforts to put out (the fires)… and will update the information” later in the day, an Iwate official said. AFP.
“In the end, I hope it rains,” one Otsuchi resident told public broadcaster NHK.
Increasingly dry winters increase the risk of wildfires. The fire that broke out in the town of Ofunato in Iwate early last year was the worst fire Japan has seen in more than half a century.
Scientists have long warned that climate change driven by human consumption of fossil fuels will make periods of drought more intense and longer, creating ideal conditions for wildfires.
