Massive fire in Japan’s Oita guts 170 homes, forces evacuation of 175; one person missing | Watch

A major fire swept through a residential area in the southern Japanese city of Oita, forcing the evacuation of 175 people, the local government said on Wednesday. One person remains missing.

Firefighters were still battling the blaze, which has reportedly spread to a nearby forested mountain, public broadcaster NHK reported, showing white smoke rising from the flames in the distance.

Footage showed crews desperately hosing down “ferocious flames” as they tore through homes on Tuesday night, while residents were moved to a makeshift evacuation centre.

Eyewitness accounts highlighted the terrifying speed and intensity of the fire. “The flames rose high, turning the sky red. The wind was strong. I never thought it would spread so much,” one man in the city on the southern island of Kyushu told the broadcaster NHK.

“The mountain was burning, the one behind,” said another man. “I brought with me my driver's license and smartphone.”

When did the fire start?

The massive blaze, which broke out late on Tuesday, has caused widespread devastation across the southern region of Japan.

Fire officials received an emergency call from a resident around 5:45 PM on Tuesday in Saganoseki, Oita City. The blaze has since grown so extensively that it remains uncontrolled, more than 12 hours after the initial call, NHK reported.

The severity of the incident prompted the fire crew to evacuate 115 households, or approximately 175 people, the Oita prefectural government stated in a press release.

The fire has reportedly affected at least 170 buildings in Oita. One person remained unaccounted for, while 300 houses in part of Oita were suffering a power blackout, the news report said.

What's next?

According to NHK, the prefectural authorities have decided to implement the disaster relief law for the city, which will enable the central government and the prefecture to cover all necessary costs, including expenses for maintaining the shelter.

The region's prefecture's governor also spoke to the military about potential support for controlling the situation, news agency AFP reported.

The fire-hit residential area sits in a location that is surrounded by mountains about 25 kilometers east of the city center, close to the Saganoseki fishing port.