Authorities Begin Lifting Restrictions After Week-Long Blaze Shows No Further Spread
Japanese authorities have started easing evacuation orders after heavy rainfall helped firefighters gain control over the country’s most severe wildfire in more than 50 years.
The blaze, which raged for over a week in the mountainous areas near Ofunato in northern Japan, claimed one life and forced over 4,200 people to flee.
However, recent wet weather, following an extended dry spell, has assisted containment efforts.
“Morning aerial surveillance has not detected any new fire spread, structural damage, or signs of smoke,” said Toshifumi Onoda from the local fire department on Friday. He added that firefighters would soon enter the affected forested areas to confirm the fire’s status.
Shinichi Matsukawa, a city official, announced that evacuation orders for nearly 1,000 residents had been lifted.
Japan’s Largest Wildfire in Half a Century
The wildfire consumed approximately 2,900 hectares—nearly half the size of Manhattan—surpassing the 2,700 hectares burned in a 1975 fire on Hokkaido island, making it the largest in Japan in over five decades.
Japan experienced its hottest summer on record last year as global temperatures continue to rise due to climate change.
Ofunato recorded only 2.5mm of rainfall in February, the lowest for the month since records began, breaking the 1967 record of 4.4mm and falling significantly below the 41mm average.
Damage Assessment and Wildfire Trends
At least 78 buildings are suspected to have been damaged, but assessments are still ongoing, according to the fire agency.
While Japan has seen a decline in wildfire incidents since their peak in the 1970s, the fire season typically runs from February to May, when dry air and strong winds create dangerous conditions. Recent years have recorded an average of 1,300 wildfires annually.
