Thousands flee as Japan faces largest wildfire in three decades

A massive wildfire in northern Japan has prompted the evacuation of thousands of residents, as the blaze rages on March 2, marking the country's largest wildfire in nearly 30 years.

Local authorities report that around 2,000 people fled areas around the northern Japan city of Ofunato to stay with friends or relatives, while more than 1,200 were evacuated to shelters, Caliber.Az reports via Japanese media.

At least one person has been confirmed dead, and officials are continuing to assess the scale of the damage.

"We're still examining the size of the affected area, but it is the biggest since the 1992 wildfire" in Kushiro, Hokkaido, a disaster management agency spokesman told AFP on March 1.

Some reports estimated the fire had spread over 1,800 ha.

Aerial footage by the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) showed columns of white smoke billowing, four days after the blaze first materialised, with military helicopters trying to douse them.

One burnt body has been discovered so far, with more than 80 buildings damaged and around 1,700 firefighters mobilised from across the country.

The number of wildfires has declined since the peak in the 1970s, according to government data, but there were about 1,300 across Japan in 2023 - concentrated in the February to April period when the air dries and winds pick up.

By Khagan Isayev