Emergency crews in northern Japan are working around the clock as massive mountain fires enter their fifth consecutive day, prompting authorities to mobilize 1,400 firefighters and 100 military personnel to contain the spreading blazes.
The wildfires have consumed approximately 3,393 acres as of Sunday morning, marking a 7% increase from the previous day’s measurements.
The flames pose a serious risk to residential neighborhoods in Otsuchi, a scenic Pacific Coast community that suffered tremendous losses during the catastrophic March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, which claimed nearly ten percent of the town’s population.
Local officials have issued mandatory evacuation notices affecting 1,541 households, displacing approximately 3,233 people — roughly one-third of Otsuchi’s entire population.
“Although the Self-Defence Forces are fighting the fires from the sky (with helicopters), the dry weather and winds are helping the fires expand,” Otsuchi Mayor Kozo Hirano told a press conference.
The emergency has sparked deep concerns among local residents who fear the potential devastation. “A fire burns everything down. With a tsunami, you might have something left after the destruction,” said 74-year-old Yoshinori Komatsu while observing military helicopters conducting water drops on the distant flames.
According to Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency, only one minor injury has been reported so far — a person who fell while at an evacuation facility.
Weather forecasters with the Japan Meteorological Agency predict continued dry conditions through Monday, with the possibility of light precipitation arriving Tuesday.
Investigators are still working to determine what sparked the fires.
