Six days after the Tochigi Ashikaga wildfire broke out, the fire spread almost stopped

The wildfire in Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture, took place on the 27th, and 6 days have passed since the outbreak.

According to the city, the spread of fire has been almost stopped after the evening of the 26th, so fire departments are rushing to put out the remaining fire.

The wildfire that broke out in Nishinomiya-cho, Ashikaga City on the 21st of this month has not subsided yet, and the fire extinguishing activities from the ground by the SDF helicopter and fire department continued on the 27th.

According to the city, the burnt area was about 106 hectares as of 11:00 am on the 27th, which is the same as in the evening of the 26th, and the spread of fire has been almost stopped.

The city has issued evacuation advisories to 305 households so far, saying that there is a risk of fire spreading to residential areas, and as of 4:00 pm on the 27th, 7 people from 5 households have been evacuated.

No one has been injured by the fire so far, but the wooden shrine building in the mountains has been completely destroyed.

According to the Utsunomiya Local Meteorological Observatory, the air in Tochigi Prefecture is dry, but it is expected that the wind will not be strong until the 28th, and the city hastened to extinguish the remaining fire in cooperation with the fire department and the Self-Defense Forces, weekly. I want to aim for suppression in the early dawn.

Private drone mayor "absolutely stop" over the scene

Mayor Satoshi Izumi of Ashikaga City held a press conference at a facility in the city on the afternoon of the 27th, and explained that helicopter fire extinguishing activities until the 26th could almost stop the spread of fire.

He said, "The momentum of the fire has become controllable. The wind has subsided, and it feels like we are only one step away from suppressing the fire." He said that he would do his best to extinguish the remaining fire after the 28th. I did.

Also, around noon on the 27th, it was confirmed that a private drone was flying over the vicinity of the site, and he had to suspend fire fighting activities temporarily, so he said, "I definitely want you to stop because helicopters can not fly." I appealed.

A helicopter relay point was set up from the 27th at the "Nakahashi Ryokuchi Kita Multipurpose Plaza" on the riverbed along the Watarase River, which is close to the site of the forest fire.

Disaster prevention helicopters engaged in firefighting activities were taking off and landing one after another, and in the afternoon helicopters from Tokyo, Toyama Prefecture, and Yokohama City were seen waiting.