UTSUNOMIYA -- A forest fire on Ryogaisan mountain in Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture, continued Friday morning, spreading over an area of 100 hectares. A total of 305 households have been advised to evacuate.
On the sixth day since the outbreak of the fire, Self-Defense Forces aircraft and firefighting helicopters resumed operations from the air at around 6:30 a.m.
In the Honjo district in the city, located on the east side of the mountain, strong winds drove the fire to as close as 150 meters from a residential area on Thursday. The Ashikaga municipal government issued an additional evacuation advisory for 98 households at 8 a.m. Friday. As of 9 a.m. on Friday, 11 people from six households were staying at an evacuation center.
At Keyaki Elementary School, about 1.5 kilometers southeast of the mountain, students were escorted to school by their parents and other adults. Smoke rising from the mountain was visible on their way.
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