INA–Follow up
Officials reported that firefighters in Japan have successfully extinguished a forest fire in the north of the country, described as the largest in decades, after battling it for 11 days.
Since late April, hundreds of firefighters and more than 1,000 military personnel have been battling the blaze, which consumed approximately 1,600 hectares in the mountainous Iwate region.
The affected area is nearly five times the size of New York City's Central Park.
According to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, at least eight buildings were damaged, two people sustained minor injuries, and thousands were evacuated.
Kozou Hirano, the mayor of Otsuchi in the region, told reporters that he had been informed the fire was under control, attributing the containment to aerial and ground firefighting efforts and heavy rain.
However, he noted that authorities would remain vigilant for the possibility of remaining embers.
Kyodo News reported that this is the second-largest forest fire in Japan in more than 30 years.
Increasingly dry winters have led to a rise in the risk of such fires.
Last year, Iwate Prefecture experienced another fire that burned 2,600 hectares, the largest in Japan since 1975, when a fire consumed 2,700 hectares in Kushiro on the northern island of Hokkaido.
Scientists warn that climate change will make droughts more severe and prolonged, creating ideal conditions for forest fires.