Fire Burns Over 170 Buildings, Kills 1 in Oita

Oita, Nov. 19 (Jiji Press)–A fire that started near a fishing port in the southwestern Japan city of Oita on Tuesday evening has burned more than 170 buildings, including houses, and left one person dead. It has not yet been fully extinguished. The victim, whose sex is unknown, was found in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest and later pronounced dead, according to Oita prefectural government officials and other sources. A man in his 70s is reported missing at the scene. A woman in her 50s was slightly injured. As of 3 p.m. Wednesday, areas totaling about 4.89 hectares were burned, Oita city government officials said. The Oita prefectural and city governments have set up emergency response headquarters. On Wednesday, Oita Governor Kiichiro Sato requested a Ground Self-Defense Force disaster deployment. In Tokyo, the central government established a liaison office under the crisis management center at the prime minister’s office on Wednesday. “We will offer maximum support in cooperation with local governments,” Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on X, formerly Twitter. On Tuesday, the fire broke out at around 5:45 p.m. about 25 kilometers east of the city center. More than 60 fire engines from the city and neighboring municipalities were dispatched to the scene. The fire spread to a nearby forest and an uninhabited island about 1.4 kilometers off the coast. A total of 180 people from 121 households temporarily took shelter at an evacuation center set up by the city. As of 6 p.m. on Wednesday, 152 people from 101 households remained there. The residential area fire is coming under control, Sato told reporters, adding, “We will continue working hard to extinguish the fire.” According to the Oita Meteorological Office, a strong wind advisory was in effect in the city on Tuesday evening. A maximum instantaneous wind speed of 11.9 meters per second was recorded shortly after 5 p.m. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]