On Tuesday, firefighters were battling the worst forest fire in five decades in Japan, resulting in a fatality and forcing the evacuation of nearly 4,000 residents.
“At the moment, there are no signs that the fire is under control,” a spokesperson for the city of Ofunato, located in the northern part of the archipelago, stated.
Five days after the start of the fire, the forests surrounding this municipality remained covered in white smoke clouds, according to aerial images broadcasted by Japanese television. Military helicopters and around 2,000 firefighters have been deployed in the region. The region has experienced a drastic reduction in precipitation over the last month.
On Tuesday morning, the fire had spread across 2,600 hectares, according to the disaster management agency. It is the largest forest fire in Japan since 1975, when 2,700 hectares were burned in Kushiro, on the island of Hokkaido.
Climatic Perspectives and Damage in Japan
The weather forecast anticipates rain or snow for Tuesday night into Wednesday. It is difficult to predict if this will contribute to the extinguishing of the fire, the municipal spokesperson noted. “Bad weather could hinder helicopters from dropping water,” he added.
The fire, which covers an area seven times larger than New York’s Central Park, has resulted in one fatality and damage to at least 80 buildings. Authorities recommended the evacuation of 4,600 residents, of which 3,939 took shelter in designated centers, municipal authorities reported.
In January, the city received only 2.5 millimeters of rain, the lowest historical record, significantly lower than the average of 41 millimeters. Last year was the warmest year recorded in Japan, according to the National Meteorological Agency, reflecting a global trend of extreme events exacerbated by climate change.
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In Tokyo, the country’s capital with 14 million inhabitants, experienced the hottest June in almost 150 years.
During June, the temperature in the capital city exceeded 35ºC for 5 consecutive days.
In Isesaki, northwest of Tokyo, a temperature record of 40.2ºC was set, making it the highest recorded in June in Japan.
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