Firefighters in Japan struggle to contain blazes as over 3,000 people evacuated

More than 1,000 firefighters in northern Japan battled to contain two wildfires for a fourth straight day on Saturday (Apr 25), as the blazes pushed closer to residential areas and forced more than 3,000 residents to evacuate.



The combined area affected amounts to the third largest recorded in Japan, where forest fires have intensified in recent years.



The first fire broke out on Wednesday in a mountainous area and then a second nearby threatened residential districts in the town of Otsuchi in Iwate Prefecture.

Hilly terrain, dry weather and winds are hampering containment efforts, a fire department official told reporters.