Rain helps contain wildfire in Japan's Iwate

The wildfire, which began on February 26, has affected wide areas, burning approximately 2900 hectares, or nine per cent of the city's total area, national broadcaster NHK reported.

For the first time since the fire began, steady rainfall was recorded on Wednesday, with 17 mm measured by 5 pm local time. The city reported that no further spread of the fire was confirmed, attributing this to the rain.

A recent survey confirmed damage to 78 buildings, including houses, vacant properties, and workspaces, adjusting the previous estimate of at least 84 structures, according to the NHK.

Officials warned that the number of affected structures may increase as further surveys are conducted, Xinhua news agency reported.

Rain is expected to continue through Thursday, with up to 20 mm of additional rainfall predicted over the next 24 hours for southern coastal areas of Iwate Prefecture, including Ofunato.

Over the weekend, the Iwate Prefecture government issued another evacuation order for 333 people from 141 homes, adding to the more than 4,000 residents in around 1,900 households already told to abandon their homes.

Over a thousand people were reportedly taking shelter at evacuation centres in the city as Japanese Self Defence Force helicopters joined efforts by around a dozen prefectures to contain the fire, which had killed one person and burned over 100 homes.

According to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, the forest fire is the largest Japan has seen since the late 1980s.