TOKYO, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- At least one person has been found dead, and 84 houses have been damaged as a forest fire in the northeastern Japanese prefecture of Iwate continued to spread on Thursday, local media reported.

Since Wednesday, the blaze has burned an area of more than 600 hectares in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, Kyodo News reported, citing local authorities.

With the flames still spreading, 540 people have been evacuated to the seven evacuation centers in the region as of Thursday morning, with the fire department and the Self-Defense Forces continuing their efforts to contain the fire, according to the municipal government.

Nearby schools and kindergartens were closed on Thursday, while 500 homes in Ofunato were without power, the report said.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency requested emergency support from firefighting departments in eight nearby prefectures, and they sent about 690 personnel combined, it added.

This is the third wildfire in Iwate Prefecture in about a week. The first fire broke out on Feb. 19 in Ofunato and was extinguished on Tuesday. A second blaze emerged in neighboring city of Rikuzentakata on Tuesday and was contained on Wednesday. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)