Ōfunato wildfire
| Ōfunato wildfire | |
|---|---|
| Part of Wildfires in 2025 | |
The fire viewed from Sakihama on 1 March | |
| Date(s) | 26 February – 9 March 2025 |
| Location | Ōfunato, Iwate, Japan |
| Coordinates | 39°02′58″N 141°47′19″E / 39.0495°N 141.7887°E |
| Statistics | |
| Status | Extinguished |
| Burned area | 2,900 ha (7,166 acres; 29 km2; 11 sq mi) |
| Impacts | |
| Deaths | 1 |
| Evacuated | 4,596 |
| Structures destroyed | 171 |
| Ignition | |
| Cause | Under investigation |
| Map | |
General location of the fire in Iwate Prefecture General location of the fire in Japan | |
On 26 February 2025, a wildfire began in the southeast of Ōfunato, a city in the Iwate Prefecture of Japan. The fire grew to cover 2,900 ha (7,200 acres) before it was extinguished on 9 March, making it the largest wildfire in Japan in over 50 years. It destroyed 171 structures, killed one person, and forced over 4,500 people to evacuate.