Over 1,200 firefighters struggle to contain forest fires in northern Japan

TOKYO - Two forest fires in northern Japan's Iwate Prefecture burned into a fourth day on Saturday as ground and aerial firefighting efforts expanded to more than 1,000 personnel.

The blazes are pushing closer to the residential areas of the town of Otsuchi, where about a third of the town's residents were ordered to evacuate.

One fire broke out on Wednesday afternoon in a mountainous area of Iwate Prefecture, followed by another two hours later about 10 km (6.2 miles) away and near Otsuchi's residential area.

Flames are threatening homes in multiple districts, with 1,225 firefighters, including teams dispatched from outside the prefecture, battling the blazes from ground and air.

Helicopters from several prefectures and Japan’s Self-Defense Forces are conducting aerial water drops.

The wildfires have scorched more than 730 hectares (1,800 acres) and forced evacuation orders covering 1,541 households and 3,233 people as of Saturday morning.

Eight buildings, including one residence, have burned. No casualties have been reported.

No rain is forecast over the coming week, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Together the fires have burned up the third-largest area of any wildfire in Japan, behind an Ofunato fire that consumed about 3,370 hectares in 2025 and the Kushiro fire in 1992 that consumed 1,030 hectares, according to media reports.

-Reporting by Mariko Katsumura; Editing by Tom Hogue/Reuters