A fire in the city of ofunato in the Japanese prefecture Iwate has been crazy for over a week. The fire consumed over 2,900 hectares of land. One person was killed and over 4,200 had to be evacuated.
The fire appeared around the city of Ofunato in the Iwate prefecture on Wednesday, February 26. Until now, the element has digested an area of over 2,900 hectares, which is nine percent of the total area of the city – the Japanese sender of NHK said on Friday. One person was killed as a result of the fire, and over 4,200 had to be evacuated.
It is estimated that at least 78 buildings were damaged.
There is a fight against fire in the Ojunato areaPAP/EPA/FIRE AND DISaster Management Agency of Japan
Communication paralysis
The fire led to communication paralysis in the city of Ofunato. Due to the threat, the authorities closed most of the roads, and suspended trains and subway.
At the Sakari station in the city of Ofunato, trains were suspended to a nearby city, which forced travelers to use buses.
“In one day, about four hundred to five hundred passengers had a problem with getting home,” said Tetsu Yoshida, head of the Sakari station.
Fire in the area of ofunatoPAP/EPA/FIRE AND DISaster Management Agency of Japan
Very dry February
On Wednesday, after many days without rainfall, the coveted rain fell. Thanks to it, the fire has been partially mastered, but the situation is still serious.
– After rain on Wednesday, we think that the fire has been fully controlled, but it can start to spread again. We cannot say that the fire is under control, 'said onod Toshifumi, a fire brigade representative.
According to experts, the fire is hard to extinguish because rainfall in February was very small. Last month, the sum of rainfall in the city was 2.5 liters per square meter – usually monthly rainfall is around 41 l/sq m.
“There has never been February with such a small amount of rain,” said Yoshiya Touge hydrologist with the University of Kyoto in an interview with The Japan Times. – Weather conditions are dry, wind gusts are strong, and the area – steep. In addition, many trees are coniferous species that are highly flammable – he added.
The fire that exploded in the vicinity of ofunato is the so -called vertex fire, in which the fire jumps between the crowns. The upper parts of the trees are usually drier than mundane, which causes faster spread of flames and more difficulties in their extinguishing.
Fires in the vicinity of ofunatoEnex
Source of the main photo: PAP/EPA/FIRE AND DISaster Management Agency of Japan