Fire burning in southwestern Japan damages 170 homes and forces evacuations

TOKYO AP Firefighters and army helicopters battled a fire Wednesday that burned through a neighborhood in southwestern Japan killing one person and inuring another and forcing more than people to evacuate A man in his s was unaccounted for and firefighters later ascertained a body possibly of the missing man and a woman in her s suffered a minor injury the Oita prefectural calamity response group explained At least homes have been damaged or burned down the crew reported Dozens of fire engines and more than firefighters were mobilized to battle the fire which was not fully under control nearly hours after it started The Ground Self-Defense Force dispatched two UH army helicopters to assist The fire started during strong winds Tuesday evening near a fishing port in the city of Oita on the southern main island of Kyushu The blaze spread to a forest affecting about hectares acres the Fire and Catastrophe Management Agency reported Government are still inspecting the fire s cause and how it spread the FDMA reported Japanese television footage established smoke rising from swaths of land filled with destroyed and damaged houses though orange flames were no longer visible by midday The Oita prefecture mentioned about homes remained without electricity Wednesday afternoon A resident described Kyodo News Agency she swiftly fled without several of her belongings because the fire spread in the blink of an eye Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi posted a declaration on X offering sympathy for those affected by the fire and pledged to provide maximum patronage Source