Photo/Illutration Smoke rises from Tsutashima island in Oita city on Nov. 19. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

OITA--A huge fire here that killed one person, razed more than 180 buildings and jumped to an island has been fully extinguished, Oita Mayor Shinya Adachi said Dec. 4.

At a meeting of the disaster management headquarters, Adachi said there was no chance of the fire reigniting.

The blaze started on Nov. 18 in the residential Saganoseki district of Oita city and spread rapidly by strong winds.

Adachi had announced the fire was extinguished on Nov. 28 on the Saganoseki Peninsula.

But the fire had somehow reached Tsutashima island, 1.5 kilometers offshore from the peninsula.

That fire, too, has now been doused.

“I’d like to declare that the fire across the entire area has been extinguished,” Adachi said. “I appreciate the efforts made by members of the fire department, the fire brigade, Oita University, the Oita prefectural government, the Self-Defense Forces and the Japan Coast Guard.”

Barriers restricting entry to the damaged areas are gradually being lifted.

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