According to the NHK broadcaster, the fire erupted on Sunday and the emergency services cannot extinguish the blaze because of the dry and windy weather. On late Wednesday, the fire hit the area of 76.5 hectares.
Evacuation advisories have been issued to 177 households in #Ashikaga, #Tochigi Prefecture amid fears over the spread of a wildfire that had already burned through more than 50 hectares of forest in the Mount Ryogai & Mount Tengu areas by Feb. 24, according to media source.#Japan pic.twitter.com/TqAQ68CgGV
— かわたる (@kawataru_j) February 24, 2021
The Japan Self-Defence Forces have joined the firefighting operation.
The blaze has blocked the traffic on one of the nearby roads and destroyed a Shinto temple.
