Japan ravaged by several forest fires, the most important since 1992 – Liberation
It has been more than three days since Japan is ravaged by the flames, in the middle of a dry and windy season. Japanese firefighters still face this Saturday, March 1, with several forest fires. A fire, declared on Wednesday, killed at least one person, damaged more than 80 buildings and forces thousands of inhabitants to evacuate the areas around the city of Ofunato, in the wooded region of Iwate, in the northeast of the country.
According to the Japanese fire management agency, 1,200 hectares have already been ravaged by flames. « We are still trying to determine the affected surface, but it is the most important since 1992 »assured a agency spokesman on Saturday. At the time, a fire had destroyed 1,030 hectares in Kushiro in Hokkaido, in the north of the country. The cause of the fire is not known at this stage.
On Saturday, 1,700 firefighters were mobilized throughout the country to try to extinguish the flames which continue to rage, as shown by the aerial images of the NHK public channel. Another fire, which declared itself on February 26 in the district of Saruhashimachi Ozawa in Otsuki, in the prefecture of Yamanashi, is also still raging. About 90 firefighters and members of the bodies of firefighters were dispatched on the spot. The government of the city of Otsuki has set up an evacuation center for 189 people.
No one injured has yet been reported. The origin is known: a resident called the emergency services that day to say: « I burned dead grass and other materials when the fire spread »said the authorities cited by the Japanese daily Asahi Shimbun.
Another forest fire also declared itself in the district of Takeshikamihoni in Ueda, in the prefecture of Nagano on Friday. The extent of the damage caused by the fire is not yet known. At most, we know that the fire is far from being under control, said those responsible for the fight against fires.
In 2023, Japan experienced approximately 1,300 forest fires, concentrated over the period from February to April, when the air dries and the winds get up. The latest fire in the Iwate region has been powered by « Verneous winds »said the agency spokesperson.
The year 2024 was also the hottest ever recorded in Japan, according to the National Meteorological Agency (JMA), against the backdrop of extreme phenomena multiplying in the world due to climate change.
