1-3-2025 (TOKYO) In the northern region of Iwate, Japan is grappling with its most severe wildfire in over 30 years, as flames tear through approximately 1,200 hectares of Ofunato forest since Wednesday’s outbreak.
The current blaze has already surpassed the previous record set in 1992, when fire consumed 1,030 hectares in Hokkaido’s Kushiro area, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.
The devastating inferno has claimed one life, with local police confirming the discovery of a burned body on Thursday. More than 80 buildings have sustained damage, whilst authorities have evacuated over 1,000 residents from the vicinity.
Dramatic aerial footage broadcast by NHK showed dense white smoke engulfing an entire mountainside as an unprecedented national response unfolds, with approximately 1,700 firefighters being deployed from across the country.
JUSTIN : Forest fire continues in Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan
Firefighters are struggling to contain a forest fire that continues raging in multiple locations in the
northeastern Japanese prefecture of Iwate. At least 10 houses have reportedly been damaged.The police… pic.twitter.com/MEM9oQRkUm
— upuknews (@upuknews1) February 26, 2025
Ofunato has experienced remarkably dry conditions, recording merely 2.5mm of rainfall this month—set to fall significantly below February’s previous record low of 4.4mm established in 1967.
Whilst the origins of the current crisis remain unknown, the inferno in Ofunato is not isolated. Two additional wildfires are currently burning—one in Yamanashi prefecture and another elsewhere within Iwate.
Though government data indicates a decline in wildfire incidents since their peak in the 1970s, Japan still contended with approximately 1,300 such blazes in 2023, primarily concentrated between February and April when dry air and increased winds create hazardous conditions.
