Military and firefighters tackle major wildfire in Ofunato, Japan
Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) helicopters have been dispatched to assist wildfire-fighting efforts near the city of Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture
The JSDF helicopters are currently working alongside fire department rotorcraft and around 2,000 firefighters to combat Japan’s largest wildfire in half a century.
The Ofunato blaze has consumed around 2,600 hectares of land as of 4 March, according to a statement by Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency, and destroyed over 80 buildings.
It has burned for almost a week, and was preceded by record low rainfall – the area around the city reported just 2.5mm of rain in February, well below the average of 41mm.
The fire has also led to the evacuation of nearly 4,000 local residents, and the death of one person. Authorities have stated that it is still spreading.
The wildfire is the largest since one in 1975 in Kushiro, Hokkaido, which burned over 2,700 hectares.
The US state of California experienced major wildfires in January this year.