Haga, now 31, has spent the past six days helping fight a wildfire that has scorched more than 1,600 hectares of forest around Otsuchi in Iwate Prefecture, with no immediate sign of containment despite the deployment of around 1,400 firefighters and dozens of Japan Self-Defense Force personnel, according to local authorities and Reuters witnesses.

“It’s been 15 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake, and our lives were finally beginning to settle down,” Haga said after another day on the fire line. “We can’t let people lose what is precious to them all over again.”

Otsuchi was among the towns hardest hit by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, when waves estimated at around 10 meters swept through the fishing community, killing nearly 1,300 residents — roughly a tenth of its population — including the town’s mayor. Haga was in high school when the disaster destroyed his family’s home.

The KRRO +1Now married with a toddler, he says the scale of the current fire is unlike anything he has experienced before.“The fire is spreading and our exhaustion is at a limit, but it’s our hometown,” he said. “We will protect it at all costs, even if it feels like we’re running on empty.”

The KRROThe wildfire comes as Japan faces increasing concern over larger and more frequent seasonal blazes, particularly during the hot, dry and windy weeks before the country’s rainy season begins. Another wildfire broke out on Sunday in neighboring Fukushima, also in northeastern Japan.

While Japan has historically seen fewer major wildfires than regions such as North America or Australia, firefighters and climate researchers say warming temperatures and drier early spring conditions are making containment more difficult.

For Haga, the threat is compounded by a longer-term challenge: Japan’s aging and shrinking population, which is leaving local volunteer fire brigades understaffed.

He said his brigade is already operating below official staffing targets.“If a forest fire breaks out when I’m in my 50s or 60s, and I’m the one gasping for breath while trying to fight it, I don’t think we’ll be able to stop it,” he said.

The KRRO +1Despite the strain, Haga hopes the determination shown by volunteer firefighters will inspire younger residents to step forward and help protect communities facing more frequent natural disasters.“The next generation might be inspired to join the volunteer fire brigade,” he said.

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Authorities said the fires had spread across 1,373 hectares (3,393 acres) by early Sunday, a 7% increase from the previous day, with dry weather and strong winds hampering containment efforts.The blazes are advancing toward neighborhoods in Otsuchi, a Pacific coastal town still marked by the devastation of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, which killed nearly a tenth of its population.

Evacuation orders remain in place for 1,541 households, affecting 3,233 residents roughly one-third of the town’s population.“Although the Self-Defense Forces are fighting the fires from the sky with helicopters, the dry weather and winds are helping the fires expand,” Otsuchi Mayor Kozo Hirano told a press conference.

Military helicopters continued aerial water drops over forested mountain areas on Sunday as emergency crews worked to prevent the flames from reaching homes and critical infrastructure.Residents watching the smoke spread expressed concern over the scale of possible destruction.

“A fire burns everything down. With a tsunami, you might have something left after the destruction,” said 74-year-old Yoshinori Komatsu as he watched helicopters dump water over the hills in the distance.

So far, only one minor injury has been reported a person who fell at an evacuation center, according to Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency.The Japan Meteorological Agency said no rainfall is expected in the region on Sunday or Monday, though a brief shower is forecast for Tuesday, offering limited hope for natural relief.

Officials said the cause of the fires remains under investigation.Japan has faced increasing wildfire risks in recent years, particularly during dry seasonal periods, with mountainous terrain and strong coastal winds often complicating firefighting operations.

The current fires represent one of the most serious wildfire threats to northern Japan this year, placing renewed pressure on local emergency services and evacuation systems.