Country reeling from Japan's largest wildfire in 50 years: 'Nothing is left'

Hundreds of people were forced to flee their homes as firefighters worked to contain Japan's largest wildfire in 50 years.

What's happening?

A forest fire in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, grew to nearly 7,200 acres as of March 5, per the latest update from JapanToday, before finally being brought under control this weekend. 

Approximately 4,600 residents were under evacuation orders, with some 2,000 people escaping the area and another 1,200 people staying in shelters. City officials confirmed that the fire had damaged at least 76 buildings and killed one man, though they were still investigating its cause.

Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency said that 1,700 firefighters from 14 prefectures mobilized in the northeastern coastal city after the blaze started Feb. 26. It was the nation's largest fire in five decades, surpassing one in 1975 that engulfed 6,700 acres of Hokkaido.

Bunsuke Sasaki, a 75-year-old resident, told the Japan Times he returned after the fire had subsided to find his house had burned down.

"It's disappointing. Nothing is left," Sasaki said. "I have no choice but to get on, because I grew up here."

Why is the fire concerning?

Though recent rain helped limit the destruction caused by the fire, the devastation comes on the heels of the region's driest February since the Japan Meteorological Agency began collecting data nearly 60 years ago. 

Ofunato set a February record for the lowest precipitation after receiving just 2.5 millimeters of rainfall. That broke the previous low of 4.4 millimeters set in 1967 and stands in stark contrast to the 41 millimeters the city averages during the second month.

According to Emergency Leaders for Climate Action founder Greg Mullins, this fire and the ones in Los Angeles in January were "highly unusual" because they occurred during cooler winter months. 

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"In both cases, the fires were preceded by hot summers, which increased evaporation and drying of vegetation, followed by large rainfall deficits that parched the landscape," he told Agence France-Presse. "This is a common byproduct of climate change."

What's being done about the increasing severity of fires?

While extreme weather events such as wildfires have and will continue to happen, our overheating planet — fueled by an overreliance on dirty energy sources — has helped supercharge these disasters. 

To mitigate the effects of rising global temperatures, Japan has heavily invested in clean, renewable energy sources, such as nuclear fusion reactors and floating offshore wind turbines. 

The country, which has long been at the forefront of sustainable transportation through its bullet trains, is also working on solutions to revolutionize the automobile industry.

You can play your part by learning more about critical climate issues and making eco-friendly lifestyle changes to the way you eat or declutter your home.

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