Firefighters struggled to bring a wildfire in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, under control on Friday as it continued to rage through the area, burning 1,200 hectares of land, with no prospect of the fire being extinguished anytime soon.
The size of the affected area has doubled in less than two days. On Wednesday afternoon, the city said 600 hectares of land had been burned.
One casualty had been reported as of Thursday and at least 84 buildings have been damaged. However, the damage is likely to be more widespread, since firefighters are still trying to put out the fire and are unable to grasp the full extent of the damage.
On Friday, local authorities employed 16 helicopters from the Self-Defense Forces as well as nearby prefectures and police agencies to attempt to extinguish the fire from overhead using nearby ocean water.
Over 1,600 firefighters from the fire departments of neighboring prefectures have been deployed to help put out the fire.
In a video posted by the Fire and Disaster Management Agency on X, firefighters are seen extinguishing fire amid the ruins of a burned-out building.
【速報】本日、岩手県大船渡市の林野火災において、東京消防庁をはじめ東北や関東各県など12都県の緊急消防援助隊が活動しています。岩手県内応援部隊、地元消防本部あわせて約1,800名体制、消防防災ヘリは７機体制で、引き続き鎮圧・鎮火に向け全力で対応します。 pic.twitter.com/7DlTfQ9ejV
— 総務省消防庁 (@FDMA_JAPAN) February 28, 2025
On Friday, evacuation orders were issued across wider areas in the Sanriku and Akasaki districts, targeting a total of 3,306 people across 1,340 households.
At least 825 people have evacuated to seven shelters set up in the area, with many more thought to have fled to relatives' and friends' homes outside the districts. Out of the 2,114 people who were given evacuation orders on Wednesday, around 500 people have been confirmed safe at evacuation centers, with around 900 more confirmed to be at homes outside the area.
The city is working to confirm the whereabouts of those who were given orders on Thursday and Friday.
According to recent figures from the Forestry Agency, in the five years through 2022, an average of 1,300 wildfires were reported in the country every year, covering an average of 700 hectares and causing an average of ¥240 million ($1.6 million at current exchange rates) in damages.
Iwate has been seeing unusually frequent and strong wildfires, with these thought to be due to the dry weather conditions in the country. The Meteorological Agency has been issuing dry weather warnings for Ofunato since the morning of Feb. 18.
In Ofunato, a wildfire that started on Feb. 19 covered around 300 hectares. After it was extinguished earlier this week, a second one started Tuesday, with this extinguished the following day at around noon.
Rainfall in the region has been low in recent weeks, with there only having been 2.5 millimeters of rain in the city in February — significantly lower than the average 41 mm observed during the month in previous years.
Iwate issued a wildfire warning on Thursday, as 10 wildfires have been reported in the prefecture since the beginning of the year. This represents a higher frequency than in 2024, when a total of 33 fires were reported throughout the year.
“Through cooperation with the relevant agencies, we will continue to do our utmost to extinguish the fire as quickly as possible by deploying necessary units, including aerial firefighters, while ensuring the safety of the residents,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said Friday. “In accordance with the Disaster Relief Act, we will also work with the affected municipalities to ensure a comfortable evacuation environment for the victims and to secure emergency housing for them.”
The government is planning to hold a meeting of relevant ministers on Friday evening to discuss how the central government can help with putting out the fire and supporting evacuees.
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