As of Friday morning, fires in the mountainous areas of Iwate region had burned over 400 hectares since breaking out two days ago, government spokesman Minoru Kihara told reporters.

Flames could be seen encroaching on homes in Otsuchi Town as smoke billowed from a nearby forest.

Increasingly dry winters have raised the risk of wildfires. A blaze that broke out in the Iwate city of Ofunato early last year was Japan’s worst in over half a century.

Kihara said the flames prompted authorities to issue evacuation advisories to more than 2,500 people, and they were upping measures to extinguish the blaze, with around 700 firefighters and 13 aircraft mobilised.

As of 5am on Friday, 329 residents were taking shelter, public broadcaster NHK said.

“The sound was crazy. All these cedar trees were cracking as they burned, sending flames and smoke soaring,” a local firefighter told major broadcaster TV Asahi.