Wildfires Continue for Second Day in Okayama and Ehime Prefectures
Self-Defense Forces Helicopters Deployed for Firefighting Efforts
Japanese fire authorities are battling wildfires for the second day in a row in southwestern Honshu's Okayama Prefecture and northern Shikoku's Ehime Prefecture.
According to local media reports such as NHK on the 24th, local fire authorities are conducting firefighting operations with support from Self-Defense Forces helicopters in these areas. However, the flames remain difficult to control. In Okayama Prefecture, the burned area has already reached 250 hectares (1 hectare = 10,000 square meters). Six buildings, including warehouses and houses, have also been destroyed. In Ehime Prefecture, more than 128 hectares have already been lost to the wildfire.
Due to this fire, evacuation orders were issued to about 1,880 residents in areas including Imabari City in Ehime Prefecture starting from the previous evening. In Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture, evacuation orders were issued to about 890 people.
Earlier, a large-scale wildfire that started on the 26th in Ofunato City, northeastern Honshu's Iwate Prefecture, was suppressed on the 9th of this month, but a declaration of containment has not yet been made. In Japan, "suppression" means that the risk of the fire spreading has been eliminated, while "containment" means that the possibility of the fire reigniting has disappeared.
The burned area caused by the Ofunato City wildfire is approximately 2,900 hectares, the largest scale recorded since 1989.
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