THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
January 20, 2025 at 17:19 JST
A mountain fire in Yamanashi Prefecture, seen from central Kofu on Jan. 19 (Norikazu Miyake)
KOFU—The Self-Defense Forces and firefighters are trying to contain a mountain fire that started on Jan. 18 and destroyed an estimated 35 hectares by the following day.
The fire was raging on both sides of a mountain ridge that separates the cities of Fuefuki and Kofu in Yamanashi Prefecture as of noon on Jan. 20, authorities said.
There have been no reports of damage to homes.
A local resident reported smoke rising from near the ridge around 1:10 p.m. on Jan. 18, according to police and the fire department.
City officials in Fuefuki requested support from the SDF through the prefectural government on the morning of Jan. 19.
Aircraft from the SDF and fire departments in Tokyo, Gunma and Shizuoka prefectures are spraying water on the flames.
(This article was written by Shin Toyohira and Norikazu Miyake.)
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