Over a thousand people have been evacuated as Japan has fought the largest wildfire in over 30 years.
The fire has estimated to have spread to about 1,200 hectares (3,000 acres) in the Forest Forest forest in the northern region of Fish, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said since the fire broke out on Wednesday.
“We're still looking at the size of the affected area, but it's the largest since the 1992 wildfire. [in Kushiro, Hokkaido]The agency spokesperson said.
The fire burned the previous record of 1,030 hectares. Approximately 1,700 firefighters were mobilised from all over the country, the agency said.
Aerial footage from the public broadcaster NHK showed white smoke swirling around the entire mountain.
Local police found one burned body burned, but as of Friday, more than 1,000 nearby residents had been evacuated and more than 80 buildings were damaged, according to Ofunato authorities.
The cause of the flames remained unknown.
Two other fires were also on fire on Saturday. One is in Yamashita and the other is in Iwate.
In 2023, around 1,300 wildfires were hit by Japan, concentrated in February to April, drying out the air and blowing away the wind. Government data shows that since peaks in the 1970s, the number of wildfires has been declining.
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Ofunato only had 2.5mm (0.1 inch) of rain in February.
Since records began last year, greenhouse gas emissions, which reflect other countries, are fueling the climate crisis.
