Thousands flee after Japan's biggest wildfire in decades / Photo: © JIJI Press/AFP/File
-
GTA 6 Advertising Strategy and Disc Version Controversy
-
St Francis School Leads €60,000 EU Project to Transform Early Childhood Education
-
From First Date to Wedding Day: How a TV Quote Sparked a Lifetime Commitment
-
South Africa's Universal Health Coverage Depends on Tackling Poverty and Inequality
-
Malta Stuns Sweden with Late Penalty Comeback in Rugby Europe Trophy
-
Rare Siberian Rubythroat Dies in UK Garden After Cat Attack
-
BingX: Major Announcement of Far-Reaching Significance
-
Go Kyung-pyo Drunk Driving Incident Prompts Heavy Editing Across Multiple TV Shows
-
Élan Opens as Late-Night Wine Bar in Honolulu
-
KFF Health News Reporters Discuss ACA Enrollment Challenges, Rising Costs, and Measles Risks
-
Shiv Sena (UBT) Criticizes NCP Merger Talks as 'Ridiculous Laughing Stock'
-
Alberta Unveils New High School Graduation Requirements to Increase Student Choice
-
Dell Announces AI-Integrated PC Lineup for 2026 with Wi-Fi 7 Support
Thousands flee after Japan's biggest wildfire in decades
Thousands of people evacuated from parts of northern Japan as the country's largest wildfire in three decades raged unabated Sunday after killing at least one person, officials said.
Around 2,000 people fled areas around the northern Japan city of Ofunato to stay with friends or relatives, while more than 1,200 evacuated to shelters, according to officials.
"We're still examining the size of the affected area, but it is the biggest since the 1992 wildfire" in Kushiro, Hokkaido, a disaster management agency spokesman told AFP Saturday.
Some reports estimated the fire had spread over 1,800 hectares.
Aerial footage by NHK showed columns of white smoke billowing, four days after the blaze first materialised, with military helicopters trying to douse them.
One burned body has been discovered so far, with more than 80 buildings damaged and around 1,700 firefighters mobilised from across the country.
The number of wildfires has declined since the peak in the 1970s, according to government data, but there were about 1,300 across Japan in 2023 -- concentrated in the February to April period when the air dries and winds pick up.
E.Schubert--BTB
