Strong winds whip up western Japan wildfires, 8 buildings lost
Strong winds intensified out-of-control wildfires in two western Japan prefectures on Wednesday, leaving at least eight buildings destroyed, Kyodo reports.
As of Tuesday, the fire in Ehime had burned more than 214 hectares in Imabari, engulfing six houses and two warehouses. Meanwhile, in Okayama Prefecture, approximately 310 hectares have burned in the cities of Okayama and the neighboring Tamano.
Firefighters and Ground Self-Defense Forces were working to control the blazes that were first reported Sunday afternoon in both prefectures.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba instructed relevant agencies to do their utmost to contain the fire and ensure residents are safely evacuated.
On Tuesday night, Ehime held a disaster response meeting to assess the spread of the fire as helicopters from the GSDF conducted 55 water drops. Ehime Gov. Tokihiro Nakamura stressed that the "situation remains dangerous despite there being no casualties."
Imabari has issued evacuation orders to more than 5,800 people across roughly 3,000 households, while similar orders have also been issued in Okayama and Tamano.
The latest blazes came after a massive wildfire in Ofunato in Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, burned around 3,000 hectares of the city over 12 days from late February before it was brought under control.
As earlier reported, authorities in two western prefectures of Japan ordered thousands of people to evacuate as wildfires spread Monday despite firefighting efforts through the night.
