Firefighters struggled to bring a wildfire in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, under control on Friday as it continued to rage through the area, burning 1,200 hectares of land, with no prospect of the fire being extinguished anytime soon.
The size of the affected area has doubled in less than two days. On Wednesday afternoon, the city said 600 hectares of land had been burned.
One casualty had been reported as of Thursday and at least 84 buildings have been damaged. However, the damage is likely to be more widespread, since firefighters are still trying to put out the fire and are unable to grasp the full extent of the damage.
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