IWATE, Apr 25 (News On Japan) –
A wildfire in the town of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, entered its fourth day with no sign of weakening, as flames continued to spread and more residents prepared to flee.
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Smoke rising across a wide stretch of mountains near the Namaita district has gradually moved closer to residential areas. Although no evacuation order has yet been issued there, residents have begun making preparations as the blaze expands day by day.
‘At night the mountains turn completely red,’ one resident said. ‘Neighbors are checking on each other and saying we should run if anything happens.’
The fire broke out on April 22 and has already scorched large areas around the Kozuchi and Kirikiri districts. Overnight firefighting efforts continued again on April 25.
According to the town government, the burned area had widened to 1,176 hectares as of 6 a.m. on April 24, making it the second-largest wildfire in Japan since the start of the Heisei era, following the 2025 wildfire in Ofunato, also in Iwate Prefecture.
Aerial footage taken after 10 p.m. showed mountains engulfed in flames. Authorities said there is still no prospect of bringing the fire under control.
By 7:30 p.m., flames could be seen surging from the mountainside, edging closer to populated areas and deepening anxiety among evacuees.
‘You can see the fire more clearly after dark,’ said one resident who has been evacuated for three days. ‘It makes you feel worried and frightened.’
In the Kirikiri district, where the fire line has widened, white smoke was seen rising near Kirikiri Gakuen Elementary School, which had been serving as an evacuation shelter. Residents were later moved to the newly opened Kirikiri Community Center.
‘I couldn’t sleep at all,’ one evacuee said. ‘I stayed in my chair the whole night.’
As of 3 p.m. on April 24, evacuation orders had been issued to 1,541 households, affecting 3,233 people — roughly 30% of the town’s population.
The fire has also damaged seven buildings in the Kozuchi district.
Kazuharu Abe, 74, a livestock farmer raising 15 cattle, said flames erupted from his barn on the afternoon of April 23.
‘I took a hose inside and sprayed water where it was burning,’ Abe said. ‘But it crackled fiercely. It was no place to stay.’
Although the fire at the barn was extinguished, Abe said he continued checking the site through the night.
‘I have five calves and about ten adult cows,’ he said. ‘It’s not easy to move them somewhere else. I don’t think this wildfire will stop soon. You don’t know where the wind will send it next. That’s what worries me most.’
Despite the crisis, some businesses remain open. At the standing noodle shop Ichizen, ash-like dust had settled on tables, but the owner continued serving soba and udon to regular customers while other stores closed.
‘Food tastes even better when it’s made with heart,’ one customer said.
Firefighters face another difficult stretch ahead, with no rain expected until early next week. Crews continue battling the blaze around the clock.
Reporters at the scene said the sound of burning trees echoed more than one kilometer away, amplified by the surrounding mountains.
‘People wanted to protect their lives, but also their homes,’ one reporter said, describing residents spraying water on their houses until the last possible moment before evacuating.
Heavy smoke has made daily life difficult, with many unable to go outside without masks. Ash continues to drift through the air, and with little wind, smoke lingers in the valley communities.
Some evacuees said they were reminded of the 2025 Ofunato wildfire, which took more than a month to extinguish, adding to fears that the current crisis may be prolonged.
Source: TBS
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