US EditionFirefighters in northern Japan struggle to contain blazes as over 3,000 people evacuated
More than 1,300 firefighters and Self-Defense Forces troops are battling the blazes as dry weather and winds hamper containment, officials said.
- On Saturday, April 25, 2026, Japanese authorities deployed more than 1,300 firefighters and Japan Self-Defense Forces to combat wildfires near Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, which have scorched more than 730 hectares.
- Breaking out last Wednesday, the blazes represent the third-largest wildfire area recorded in Japan, trailing only the 2025 Ofunato fire consuming about 3,370 hectares and the 1992 Kushiro fire consuming 1,030 hectares.
- Authorities issued evacuation orders for 1,541 households and 3,233 people—about one-third of Otsuchi's population—as flames threatened residential districts, damaging at least eight buildings but causing no reported casualties.
- Otsuchi Mayor Kozo Hirano pledged to secure external aid and services for displaced residents, stating, "I can't let people lose their homes again after losing them once to the tsunami."
- The Japan Meteorological Agency forecasts no rain over the coming week, complicating containment efforts as firefighters battle increasingly dry conditions threatening residential areas.
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Fires have been raging in Japan for five days, with residential areas in Otsuchi also at risk. More than a thousand firefighters are trying to contain the blaze.
Japan deploys 1,400 firefighters as wildfires rage in the north
Otsuchi, Japan: Japan has deployed 1,400 firefighters and 100 Self-Defense Force personnel to battle mountain blazes in the northern part of the country, with the fires now burning for a fifth straight day and continuing to threaten a picturesque coastal town.The area consumed by the fires reached 1,373 hectares (3,393 acres) as of early Sunday morning, up 7% from a day earlier.The fires threaten residential districts of Otsuchi on the Pacific c…
Japan battles fourth day of wildfires as thousands flee homes
Firefighters in northern Japan battled to contain two wildfires in Iwate prefecture for a fourth straight day on Saturday (April 25), as the blazes pushed closer to residential areas and forced more than 3,000 residents to evacuate.
Firefighters in northern Japan struggle to contain blazes as over 3,000 people evacuated
More than 1,000 firefighters in northern Japan battled to contain two wildfires for a fourth straight day on Saturday, as the blazes pushed closer to residential areas and forced more than 3,000 residents to evacuate.
Hundreds of firefighters are fighting violent forest fires in northern Japan.
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