170 homes damaged as fire burns through neighbourhood in Japan

Firefighters and army helicopters have been battling a blaze that burned through a neighbourhood in south-western Japan, killing one person, injuring another and forcing more than 170 people to evacuate.

A man in his 70s was unaccounted for and firefighters later found a body, possibly of the missing man, and a woman in her 50s suffered a minor injury, the local disaster response team said.

At least 170 homes have been damaged or burned down, the team said.

Dozens of fire engines and more than 200 firefighters were mobilised to battle the blaze, which was not fully under control nearly 20 hours after it started.

The Ground Self-Defence Force dispatched two UH1 army helicopters to assist.

The fire started during strong winds Tuesday evening near a fishing port in the city of Oita on the southern main island of Kyushu.

The blaze spread to a forest, affecting about 12 acres, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency (FDMA) said. There was an advisory for strong winds when the fire broke out.

A firefighter told the Kyodo News agency that the fire-fighting operation was hampered by narrow backstreets where fire engines could not enter. There were also abandoned homes in the rapidly aging and shrinking neighbourhood, the agency reported.

The local network YTV noted that the narrow alleyways where the fire burned had old wooden houses.

The fires spread quickly as a strong wind was “blowing in all directions”, a 59-year-old office worker told Kyodo News as she recalled how the fire had started on Tuesday evening.

Authorities were still investigating the fire’s cause and how it spread, the FDMA said.

Japanese television footage showed smoke rising from swathes of land filled with destroyed and damaged houses, though orange flames were no longer visible by midday.

The Oita prefecture said about 260 homes remained without electricity on Wednesday afternoon.

A resident told Kyodo News Agency she quickly fled without many of her belongings because the fire “spread in the blink of an eye”.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi posted a statement on X offering sympathy for those affected by the fire and pledged to “provide maximum support”.