Wildfires spread in western Japan; SDF joins firefighting efforts

Both cities remain on high alert as they collect more information.

no idea about the cause? I thought that natural wildfires usually start in the Summer.

Arson?

no idea about the cause? I thought that natural wildfires usually start in the Summer.

Not always. Summers in Japan are wet. Winter can be very dry. In the southeastern US winter was the fire season. Everything is dormant and dry, cold air is very dry and you go a while with no storms then have high winds and lightning you can have fires.

Glad to see the SDF doing something useful!

Dry conditions over winter on Pacific side, much like Iwate, driest since 1946, forests like a tinder box. Good luck SFD and Firemen, stay safe!

At the same time there are similar fires burning in the Ulsan area of south east Korea. A mild dry winter the result.

Not hard to imagine how short staffed of firefighters depopulating areas are becoming due to their rapidly shrinking tax bases. Demographic problems playing out across the board in Japan and only getting worse daily.