Japan Faces Largest Wildfire in Over 30 Years, Forcing Mass Evacuations

The Ofunato wildfire in Iwate Prefecture has burned over 1,200 hectares, killing one person and displacing more than 1,000 residents.

The wildfire in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, has spread across approximately 1,200 hectares, making it Japan's largest since 1992.
Over 1,000 residents have been evacuated, and more than 80 buildings have been damaged as of Friday, February 28.
One fatality has been reported after local police discovered a burned body on Thursday, though the cause of the fire remains unknown.
Around 1,700 firefighters have been deployed nationwide to combat the blaze, with aerial footage showing smoke engulfing entire mountainsides.
Dry weather conditions, with record-low rainfall and rising temperatures linked to climate change, have exacerbated the wildfire's intensity.