TOKYO — A massive fire tore through the southern coastal city of Oita on Wednesday, leaving at least one person dead and more than 170 buildings destroyed.
Military and firefighting helicopters scrambled to battle what has become Japan’s largest urban blaze in nearly 50 years. Aerial footage showed homes reduced to rubble, thick smoke rising over the hilly Saganoseki district, a fishing community famed for its premium Seki-brand mackerel.
Strong winds carried the flames beyond homes, spreading to nearby forested slopes and even an uninhabited island more than a kilometer off the coast, local media reported.
The fire, which began Tuesday evening, has burned 48,900 square meters—roughly the size of seven soccer fields. Authorities said 175 residents were forced to evacuate to emergency shelters.
One person was found dead, according to police sources cited by local media, and a woman in her 50s was hospitalized with mild burns. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi expressed her sorrow on social media:
“I extend my heartfelt condolences to all residents who are evacuating in the cold. The government will provide the maximum possible support in collaboration with local authorities.”
The fire also caused power outages for around 300 households, according to Kyushu Electric Power.
By both size and destruction, this is Japan’s largest urban fire since 1976, when a blaze in Sakata city ravaged the city. For context, a 2016 fire in Itoigawa destroyed 147 buildings over 40,000 square meters—but no lives were lost.
As residents cope with loss and destruction, officials continue their fight against the flames, hoping to prevent further tragedy.
