Forest fire burns 9 % of Ofunato in Northeastern Japan

The burned area expanded by 300 hectares from the previous day. It was raining in the city for the first time since the fire began on Feb. 26.

At least 84 buildings are believed to have been damaged in the fire, and the burned body of a man has been found.

So far, 4,596 people in 1,896 households have been ordered to evacuate, and about 1,200 people are staying in shelters.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency's Morioka Local Meteorological Office, the southern part of the prefecture's coast, including Ofunato, is forecast to have up to 40 millimeters of rain over the 24 hours to noon Thursday.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]

Photo by Reuters