Wildfires in Japan Continue to Spread, Consuming 1,800 Hectares of Land

Officials in Iwate Prefecture, northeast Japan, announced on Sunday that wildfires, which have been raging for several days in the city of Ofunato, have consumed approximately 1,800 hectares of land.

The Japanese Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) reported today that the fires, which started last Wednesday in Ofunato, have burned an additional 400 hectares of land since Saturday morning until 6 AM local time today.

Efforts to contain the wildfires are ongoing by air and land, as smoke from the fires begins to drift towards residential areas. The Japanese Self-Defense Forces have deployed helicopters to the site to assist in extinguishing the flames.

Japanese authorities have issued evacuation orders for 16 areas, with over 1,200 people currently staying in temporary shelters in the city.

The fires have resulted in one death and damage to at least 84 buildings, although assessing the full extent of the damage caused by the fires may take a long time as firefighters continue their efforts to extinguish them.