Firefighters fight wildfires in Iwate County. Officials said on March 6 that the rain appeared to have stopped Japan’s worst wildfires. Image source: AFP
The mayor of the northern city of Ofunato said on Sunday (March 9, 2025) that at least one person has been killed in Japan for more than half a century.
Local officials said the fire broke out in mountains around rural areas since February 26, killing at least one person, causing at least 210 buildings and forcing more than 4,200 residents to flee their homes.
“After an air investigation, we assessed the risk that the fire will no longer bring further transmission. I declare that the fire is under control now,” Ofunato Mayor Kiyoshi Fuchigami said in a press conference.
The fire engulfed about 2,900 hectares (7,170 acres), about half of Manhattan’s – making it the largest in more than 50 years. It exceeds 2,700 hectares of burned by a fire on Hokkaido Island in 1975.
During a record drought, wet weather that began on Wednesday (March 5, 2025) helped firefighting efforts. Japan experienced its hottest summer last year as climate change fueled temperatures around the world.
In February, Ofunato received only 2.5 mm (0.1 inch) of rainfall, breaking the previous record low of 4.4 mm in 1967, well below the 41 mm average.
Since its peak in the 1970s, the number of wildfires in Japan has declined.
Wildfires in Japan often occur between February and May, when the air is dry and extinguished. In recent years, there are about 1,300 each year.
publishing – March 9, 2025 11:11 pm Yes
