Japan faces its worst wildfires in 50 years as wildfires continue to rage for a week

Fire authorities in Japan are struggling to contain massive wildfires that have been burning for a week on the northeast coast and have become the country's worst in 50 years.

According to data from the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, the fire near Ofunato city in the northeastern Iwate Prefecture had burned 2,600 hectares of land as of Tuesday (March 4), an area equivalent to about 3,700 standard football fields, and was still spreading. Japan's meteorological agency predicts that the Iwate area may receive snow or rain on Wednesday (5), which may help extinguish the fire. Authorities are still investigating what caused the fire.

Residents have been ordered to evacuate and more than 2,000 firefighters have been using helicopters and high-pressure hoses to tackle the blaze. However, due to the complex terrain of the mountain, it is difficult for fire trucks to reach the fire site, resulting in difficult control of the fire. Public broadcaster NHK reported that the mountainous terrain made it difficult for fire trucks to reach the fire site. One person has been killed and the governor of Iwate Prefecture has requested assistance from neighboring prefectures.

Bushfires are common in arid regions such as Australia, southern Europe and the western United States, but they are rare on this scale in Japan, which has a humid climate. However, due to the impact of climate change, unusually high temperatures and dry weather are drying out Japanese forests and increasing the risk of fire.

According to the monthly report issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency, the precipitation in the northeast Pacific coast of Japan was significantly less in February. Ofunato received just 20 millimeters of rain in January, less than half the 30-year average, and just 2.5 millimeters in February, just 6 percent of the long-term average. A drought warning has been in place since February 18.

There have also been wildfires in other parts of Japan over the past month. For example, the February 28 fire in Nagano Prefecture was put out, and the February 26 fire in Yamanashi Prefecture was brought under control on Monday.