Iwate Wildfires Spread Further to 1,600 Hectares

Morioka, Iwate Pref., April 27 (Jiji Press)--Wildfires in the northeastern Japan prefecture of Iwate have spread further, scorching about 1,600 hectares by 6 a.m. Monday.

Local firefighters and other responders in the town of Otsuchi are working to contain the blaze.

Evacuation orders cover about 1,500 households, or roughly 3,200 residents, accounting for around 30 pct of the town's population.

As of 7 a.m. Monday, around 130 people had taken shelter at eight evacuation centers, including one that allows pets.

Fires in mountainous forest areas were first detected on Wednesday, with one reported around 1:50 p.m. in the town's Kozuchi district and another around 4:30 p.m. in its Kirikiri district.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]