OTSUCHI: Hundreds of firefighters were battling wildfires in the forests of northern Japan 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 began three days ago, local government officials said in a statement.
A large plume of smoke, which could be smelled 30 kilometers (20 miles) away, was seen rising across 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 homes near the fire.
About a dozen helicopters and more than 1,300 firefighters, as well as troops from the Japan Self-Defense Forces, will be mobilized on Saturday to fight the fires, according to the statement.
At least eight buildings were burned but all residents were evacuated, he said.
“We are making efforts to extinguish (the fires) … and will update the information” later in the day, an Iwate official said. AFP.
“Ultimately, I hope it rains,” a man from Otsuchi told public broadcaster NHK.
Increasingly dry winters have increased the risk of wildfires. A fire that broke out in the town of Ofunato in Iwate early last year was the worst in Japan in more than half a century.
Scientists have long warned that climate change caused by humanity’s burning of fossil fuels will make periods of drought more intense and longer-lasting, creating ideal conditions for wildfires.
