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Yamanashi Wildfire Expands on Day 4 as Evacuations Grow and Burn Area Reaches About 50–74 Hectares

Nighttime limits on air operations over parched slopes are letting wind push the fire outward.

Overview

  • The fire that began on January 8 on Mount Ogiyama continues to burn with no injuries or structural damage confirmed.
  • Officials reported roughly 50 hectares burned on the morning of January 11, and a later Mainichi update put the area at about 74 hectares as winds drove the blaze west.
  • Flames approached homes to within about 30–50 meters at times on January 11, prompting the evacuation of two households totaling three people.
  • Evacuation orders now cover 77 households, or 145 people, as local crews, the Self-Defense Forces and the Tokyo Fire Department conduct daytime helicopter drops and ground work that continues after aerial operations pause at nightfall.
  • Authorities are probing a suspected human ignition near a trail rest spot, with dry conditions since late December and stronger winds cited as key factors in the rapid spread.