Northern Japan is on fire, AFP warned.
A fiery inferno is raging near the city of Ofunato in the northern prefecture of Iwate.
A thick cloud of smoke covers the entire area, making it difficult for firefighters to work on the spot. According to the latest, unconfirmed reports, at least one person has died in the flames.
After the fires broke out, about 2,000 people have fled the areas around the city of Ofunato in the forested Iwate region, Japanese authorities said.
According to the latest estimates, the fire has already spread to 1,800 hectares.
Many of them have found refuge with friends or relatives, and more than 1,200 have been placed in shelters.
"We are still trying to determine the area affected, but it is the largest since 1992. ", a Japanese government spokesman told AFP.
A fire then destroyed 1,030 hectares in Kushiro, on the northern island of Hokkaido.
The number of forest fires has decreased since reaching a peak in the 1970s, but in 2023 the country still recorded about 1,300 fires, concentrated in the period from February to April, when the air dries out and winds intensify.
In Japan, 2024 was recorded as the hottest year in the country's history, the national meteorological agency announced.
Higher temperatures, which usually multiply storms and floods, are a major factor in this trend.