One killed and at least 170 homes damaged as huge fire tears through southern Japan
Out-of-control blaze starts near fishing port in Oita city and spread to nearby forest
One person has reportedly died after an out-of-control fire on Wednesday morning burned through a neighbourhood in southwestern Japan and forced more than 170 people to evacuate.
Earlier, it was reported that at least 170 homes were damaged and a man in his 70s was unaccounted for, according to Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency.
A woman in her 50s was reportedly admitted to a local hospital and is receiving treatment for mild burns.
The fire started during strong winds on Tuesday evening near a fishing port in the city of Oita and spread to a forest. Oita sits on Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s main islands, roughly 770km southwest of Tokyo.
One resident told the Kyodo news agency she quickly fled without many of her belongings because the fire “spread in the blink of an eye”.
The huge fire is touted to be the country’s biggest urban blaze in nearly 50 years. The scale of destruction, both in the number of buildings and the area consumed, makes this Japan’s biggest non-earthquake urban fire since the 1976 Sakata inferno. By comparison, a 2016 blaze in Itoigawa destroyed 147 structures across roughly 40,000 square metres, though it caused no fatalities.
Prefectural officials said by 11.40pm on Tuesday, 175 residents from 115 households had taken refuge in a nearby community hall.
Fire officials were first alerted at around 5.45pm on Tuesday when a resident in Oita’s Saganoseki district made an emergency call.
Authorities have invoked the disaster relief law for Oita city, enabling both local and central governments to cover emergency costs, including the running of evacuation shelters.
A prefectural task force has been established and is scheduled to meet on Wednesday morning to map out the next steps in the response.
The neighbourhood hit by the blaze lies in a mountainous area about 25km east of central Oita, close to the Saganoseki fishing port.
Aerial images broadcast by local media revealed rows of homes burned to ashes, with heavy smoke billowing over the hillside community overlooking a fishing port famous for its prized Seki mackerel.
Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi said that a military firefighting helicopter had been deployed after the Oita prefectural governor requested assistance.
She wrote on X: “I extend my heartfelt condolences to all residents who are evacuating in the cold.
“The government will provide the maximum possible support in collaboration with local authorities.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The regional government said in a statement that the fire left nearly 300 homes in the area without power.
“The flames rose high, turning the sky red. The wind was strong. I never thought it would spread so much,” a man in Oita told NHK Japan.
“The mountain was burning, the one behind,” said another. “I brought with me my driver’s licence and smartphone.”