Forest fire leads to evacuation orders in central Japan

By Hazel Belkis Belge

ISTANBUL (AA) - Authorities on Thursday urged residents in Yamanashi, central Japan to evacuate as a forest fire that started earlier in the day began to expand even as emergency crews were working to contain the flames.

Although law enforcement and fire services confirmed that no individuals were hurt and no residences were harmed, the regional government of Yamanashi, west of Tokyo, requested the deployment of Japan Self-Defense Forces to assist in battling the blaze, according to Kyodo News.

Authorities were alerted about smoke on the 1,310-meter (nearly 4,300 feet) Mount Ogi in the morning.

Uenohara city government officials instructed some 150 people to evacuate their homes.

The local fire brigade announced that efforts to extinguish the flames have been put on hold for the night

Separately, southeastern Australia is also battling bushfires as an extended period of extreme heat persist across the nation, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

There are concerns that houses in Victoria state have been destroyed due to an uncontained bushfire.

Another pair of uncontained fires are still active in Victoria, with potential property losses expected in the central part of the state, where an out-of-control bushfire burned through 28,000 hectares.

Dozens of towns have been ordered to evacuate ahead of predicted "catastrophic" conditions on Friday.

At the same time, various communities in Victoria, South Australia, and New South Wales saw their highest temperatures in seven years due to a heatwave.