Japan Fire Destroys 170 Buildings in Hours
Synopsis
A fire in a city in southern Japan burned more than 170 buildings in Oita and made 175 people leave their homes for emergency shelters. Strong wind was blowing near a fishing port where the fire started Tuesday evening and went into forests nearby. One person is still missing as firefighters work to put out all the flames. The army sent a helicopter to help fight the fire. Houses turned to rubble in the town known for Seki mackerel fishing. Officials are investigating the cause. The people of Saganoseki have a long path ahead to get things back to normal. Rebuilding 170 buildings again will require much time and many funds. The families who lost their residences must be assisted by the government as well as charitable groups.
A massive fire burned over 170 buildings in an oceanside city of southern Japan. The fire started on Tuesday evening and continued into Wednesday. People from the fire agency said they still hadn't put out all the flames. This happened in Saganoseki, which is part of Oita city. The city is on Kyushu Island, about 770 kilometres away from Tokyo, going southwest. About 175 people needed to run from their homes into a place set up for emergencies. The fire began at 5:40 on Tuesday evening.
The Wind Made the Fire Worse
The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said one person cannot be found. Workers are trying to learn what made the fire start. Strong winds were blowing on Tuesday evening, and this made the fire move very fast from one place to another. The fire started at a fishing port and then spread up into the forest on the hills. Many people did not expect the fire to move so quickly.
TV stations showed pictures taken from the air. The pictures showed houses that had turned into broken pieces and piles of trash. Big smoke clouds were seen in the air. The town looks down at a fishing harbour where boats bring in a special kind of fish called Seki mackerel. People think this fish is very good and pay a lot of money for it. News reports said the fire also burned trees on the slopes near the town. When the trees caught fire, it became much harder to stop the flames. Firefighters worked all night trying to keep the fire from burning more buildings.
The Army Sent a Helicopter to Drop Water
The governor of Oita asked the army for help. The army sent a helicopter that fights fires to help drop water on the flames. Sanae Takaichi runs Japan as Prime Minister. She said the army sent the helicopter because the governor asked for it. Helicopters can drop water on fires that people on the ground cannot reach easily. This really helps when fires burn in forests and on hills where fire trucks cannot go.
The fire destroyed homes where families lived for many years. Lots of people lost all the things they owned. The 175 people staying in the emergency shelter do not know when they can go back to where they lived. Some houses are completely gone now. Other houses got damaged so badly that people cannot live in them anymore. The local government needs to help these people find different places to stay. They also need clothes, food, and other things they use every day because most people run away carrying almost nothing with them.
People Need Assistance
The people of Saganoseki have a long path ahead to get things back to normal. Rebuilding 170 buildings again will require much time and many funds. The families who lost their residences must be assisted by the government as well as charitable groups. The citizens of the town must also come together to support one another through this terrible time. At the moment, the priority is ensuring safety and locating the missing person. Firefighters continue to extinguish those flames that remain as well as to prevent the further outbreak of fire.
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