UTSUNOMIYA -- A forest fire on a mountain near the central district of Ashikaga in Tochigi Prefecture has been raging for four days and continues to spread. As a result, the city advised 72 households in the area to evacuate on Tuesday afternoon. The fire started on Sunday on Mt. Ryogai, located 251 meters above sea level. Despite helicopters dumping water onto the fire, it was not dying down as of 11 a.m. on Wednesday. So far, there have been no reports of casualties or damage to homes.
The mountain is in the town of Nishinomiya in the city and is about 2 kilometers to the north of the municipal government building. According to the city and other sources, a hiker called the 119 emergency number at about 3:35 p.m. on Sunday, saying there was a forest fire on the mountain. The fire burned at least about 10 hectares of the forest as of 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday despite the use of helicopters and the efforts of the Ground Self-Defense Force.
According to the Utsunomiya Local Meteorological Office, a dry weather advisory was issued in the prefecture from Feb. 16. On Tuesday, gale-force winds were reported throughout the prefecture. Fearing that the fire might spread further, the city issued the evacuation advisory in the afternoon and set up two shelters, where 31 people from 17 households spent the night. The city also temporarily closed a junior high school near the mountain on Wednesday.
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