Massive Forest Fire in Iwate, Japan Forces Evacuations and Claims Life

A large forest fire in Iwate Prefecture, northern Japan, has led to the evacuation of over a thousand people and resulted in at least one fatality. Approximately 2,500 firefighters, supported by 17 helicopters, were deployed to combat the blaze on Saturday, March 1st. The fire has reportedly spread across 1,400 hectares in the Ofunato forest, making it the largest since the 1992 Kushiro fire in Hokkaido. Authorities in Ofunato, located about 500 km from Tokyo, had urged approximately 4,600 residents to evacuate since the fire began on Wednesday, February 26th. By Friday, February 28th, over 1,000 residents had been evacuated, and more than 80 buildings were damaged. The fire caused power outages in over 700 homes in Ofunato and the neighboring village of Sanriku, and rail services connecting the two were suspended. Ofunato is experiencing an unusually dry season, with only 2.5 millimeters of rainfall recorded this month. Two additional fires occurred on Saturday in Yamanashi Prefecture and another area of Iwate.