A fire fanned by strong dry winds on Ikuchi Island destroyed more than 390 hectares of forest, the Hiroshima Prefectural Government said Sunday.
According to prefectural officials, the fire burned more than 10 percent of 3,100-hectare island in the Seto Inland Sea before being brought under control.
The local government issued evacuation recommendations to 17 families on the island but later lifted the warning. Eight families voluntarily evacuated their homes.
The Ground Self-Defense Force and the neighboring governments of Tottori and Ehime prefectures dispatched a total of nine helicopters to dump water on the forest. More than 60 fire engines were mobilized to the area. Two firefighters suffered minor eye injuries.
The cause of the blaze has yet to be determined.
