Strong winds whip up western Japan wildfires, 15 buildings lost
MATSUYAMA, Japan, March 26 Kyodo - Strong winds intensified out-of-control wildfires in two western Japan prefectures on Wednesday, burning through over a cumulative 900 hectares and leaving at least 15 buildings destroyed.
The fire in Ehime Prefecture has burned over 410 hectares in Imabari and Saijo, engulfing seven houses and two warehouses. Meanwhile, in Okayama Prefecture, approximately 540 hectares have burned in the cities of Okayama and neighboring Tamano, burning another six structures.
Firefighters and the Ground Self-Defense Force were working to control the blazes that were first reported Sunday afternoon in both prefectures.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said he hoped the relevant agencies can contain the fires and he asked them to ensure residents are safely evacuated. He also ordered the deployment of power supply vehicles amid a possibility of widespread power cuts.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said at a press conference on Wednesday that the Self-Defense Forces' Joint Operations Command was responding to the fires in the two prefectures as well as one in Miyazaki Prefecture in southwestern Japan.
The Joint Operations Command was established Monday and integrates the operations of the country's ground, maritime and air defenses.
On Tuesday night, the Ehime prefectural government held a disaster response meeting to assess the spread of the fire as helicopters from the GSDF conducted 55 water drops. Gov. Tokihiro Nakamura stressed that the "situation remains dangerous despite there being no casualties."
The Fire and Disaster Management Agency has put in a request to eight prefectures for emergency firefighting personnel to be sent to Imabari.
Imabari and Saijo have issued evacuation orders to nearly 7,500 people across over 3,800 households, while similar orders have also been issued in Okayama and Tamano.
Meanwhile, a separate fire in the city of Miyazaki that began on Tuesday was brought under control Wednesday evening, with the city lifting evacuation orders for 70 households in the area.
The fire burned through approximately 50 hectares. But there were no reports of injuries or demolished buildings, according to the agency.
The latest blazes came after a massive wildfire in Ofunato in Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, burned around 3,000 hectares of the city over 12 days from late February before it was brought under control.
==Kyodo
