Battle to contain Japan wildfires, 3000 evacuated

More than 1,000 firefighters in northern Japan are struggling to contain two wildfires for a fourth consecutive day as fires approach residential areas and force more than 3,000 residents to evacuate.

The total area affected is the third largest recorded in Japan, where wildfires have intensified in recent years.

The first fire broke out in a mountainous area on Wednesday, followed by a second nearby fire in threatened residential areas in the town of Otsuchi in Iwate Prefecture.

Rugged terrain, dry weather and winds hampered containment efforts, a fire official told reporters.

By Saturday, the fires had burned nearly 730 hectares and led to evacuation orders covering 1,541 households and 3,233 people (about a third of Otsuchi’s population).

The town was shaken by the memory of one of Japan’s worst disasters, the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in which it lost nearly a tenth of its population.

Former nurse Taeko Kajiki (76), who was among those evacuated since Friday, said, “Even in the 2011 disaster, this area was not burned. There was a tsunami, but there was no fire here.”

He said he stayed up all night watching the red glow of the flames, taking with him his bank book, health cards and the turtle he had kept as a pet since 2010.

Firefighters on the ground were supported by helicopters from several prefectures and the Japan Self-Defense Forces, which applied aerial water drops to stop the fires from advancing.

“When the ground is this dry, fires keep igniting. We put out one, then race again and again to put out the other,” said Masashi Kikuchi, a 37-year-old volunteer firefighter who moved to a house on higher ground after losing his home in the 2011 tsunami.

Eight buildings, including one residence, have been damaged or destroyed so far, but no injuries or deaths have been reported, officials said.

“I can’t let people lose their homes again after they lost them to the tsunami once,” Otsuchi Mayor Kozo Hirano told reporters. He said the town will seek help from other officials and offer services such as hot baths to reduce stress among residents.

Although Japan experiences relatively few wildfires compared to other parts of the world, climate change has increased their frequency, especially as the early spring months before the humid rainy season are hot, dry and full of winds that can fan flames.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said that no rainfall is expected in the region next week.

According to official figures, the amount of land burned around Otsuchi is second only to the massive forest fire in Ofunato in 2025, which covered about 3370 hectares, and the Kushiro fire in 1992, which covered 1030 hectares.