Japan tsunami survivor battles fire to protect hometown
Ryota Haga was in high school in March 2011 when the largest earthquake ever recorded in Japan triggered a deadly tsunami and wiped out his family’s home in the quiet northeastern town of Otsuchi.
Now 31, with his wife and toddler, the volunteer firefighter faces another natural disaster: This time, a wildfire that continues into its sixth day and has burned more than 1,600 hectares of forest threatens his community.
“It’s been 15 years since the earthquake, and our lives were finally starting to get back in order,” Haga said at the end of a tiring day fighting the fire on Sunday.
“We cannot allow people to lose what is dear to them again. The fire is spreading and our exhaustion is at its limit, but this is our hometown. We will protect it at all costs, even if it feels like we are running on empty.”
Otsuchi was among the hardest-hit coastal towns in 2011, when a tsunami estimated to be 10 meters high devastated the small fishing town.
Almost 1,300 residents, including the mayor, died, or about a tenth of the population.
He said the extent of the current fire is unlike anything Haga has ever experienced.
Nearly 1,400 firefighters and dozens of Self-Defense Force personnel have been deployed so far, and despite Monday’s rain forecast, there is still no chance of containing the blaze.
Although Japan experiences relatively few large-scale wildfires compared to other parts of the world, climate change has increased their frequency.
The early spring months before the humid rainy season were hot and dry, with winds that could fan the flames.
Another forest fire broke out in Fukushima, northeastern Japan, on Sunday.
According to Haga, increased wildfires have raised concerns about a long-term firefighter shortage as the population declines and ages.
He already says that the fire department he belongs to is below the number of personnel determined by the authorities.
“If there was a wildfire when I was in my 50s or 60s and I was the one out of breath trying to fight it, I don’t think we would be able to stop it,” he said.
Still, Haga holds out hope that the firefighters’ determination to save the community will not be in vain.
“The next generation can be inspired to join the volunteer fire department,” he said.
