Rains at the minimum in 58 years. Over 4,600 evacuation orders
The wooded fires continue to rage in north-eastern Japan that about 1,400 hectares came to burn in the coastal area of the prefecture of Iwate on Saturday morning. The fires began on Wednesday in the city of Innato, and to date over 80 buildings have been damaged, the local authorities report, however, for a complete evaluation of the destruction of the flames, it will take time, given that the fire extinguishing operations continue. The body of a man was found on Thursday, and the police are trying to confirm the cause of his death. Despite the mobilization of 1,700 firefighters, the evacuation orders were issued for three other districts on Saturday morning, and a total of almost 4,600 people belonging to about 1,900 families were displaced.
There are currently just over 1,000 residents hosted in the city evacuation centers. The causes of the fires remain unknown.
According to government data in 2023, about 1,300 fires occurred throughout Japan, concentrated in the period from February to April, when the air is drier and the winds intensify. The consequences of the change of climate are not excluded, analysts say, considering that just 2.5mm of rain fell in the city of Ofunato, a far less value of the previous 4.4mm record recorded in February 1967. 2024. It was the hottest year ever in Japan since the statistics exist, like other countries where the increase in greenhouse gas emissions contribute to heating. global.
