The wildfire in Iwate Prefecture is quickly becoming one of the largest in decades, destroying 2,100 hectares of land, so far, in the past five days — or three times the yearly average of around 700 hectares that such infernos raze across the country.
But why is the latest wildfire in Ofunato city so difficult to extinguish? The unusually dry weather, strong winds and the city's terrain have made the situation worse than usual, but experts say there are also other reasons behind it.
Although forest fires rarely make the front page in Japan, they occur more frequently than people think, with around 1,200 reported cases throughout the nation each year, usually between January and May. This translates to about four fires a day that destroy about 2 hectares of forest — or 100 meters by 200 meters' worth of land.
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