Tokyo – One person was killed as a major fire damaged 170 buildings in a residential area of the Japanese city of Oita, the local government said on Wednesday.

Firefighters were still struggling to extinguish the blaze in the southern city as it spread to a nearby forested mountain.

Footage showed firefighters hosing ferocious flames as they ripped through houses on Tuesday night, while people were taken to a makeshift evacuation centre.

“The flames rose high, turning the sky red. The wind was strong. I never thought it would spread so much,” one man in the city on the southern island of Kyushu told public broadcaster NHK.

“I was shaking with fear. I’ve never seen a pillar of fire like that,” said another man.

At least 170 buildings were damaged in the blaze, which broke out late on Tuesday, with 188 people evacuated from their homes, the regional government said in a statement.

It confirmed one death without giving further details, while NHK reported that police officers searching for a missing 76-year-old man found a body at his home.

Mayor Shinya Adachi who visited the site said “the situation may be brought under control by Wednesday if the source of the fire can be put out,” according to Kyodo News.

But “it will likely take several more days for the fire to be fully extinguished,” he said.

NHK reported that the fire rapidly spread, possibly due to little rainfall, dry air, and densely packed wooden houses in the area, 

-Nampa/AFP