A massive forest fire broke out in Nemuro City, Hokkaido, burning an area equivalent to approximately 70 Tokyo Domes. What caused the fire?
On April 16th, a large-scale forest fire broke out in Nemuro City, leading to the temporary issuance of evacuation orders. The situation at the scene the following morning revealed a tense atmosphere.
Red flames lit up the night sky… burning the surrounding area with fierce intensity. The large-scale forest fire occurred around 12:30 p.m. on April 16th in Goyomai, Nemuro City. The fire spread over several kilometers of grassland along Prefectural Road 35, burning approximately 330 hectares. This is footage taken by a resident living nearby. The flames were said to have come within hundreds of meters of houses. Many areas at the scene were inaccessible by hoses, so Hokkaido requested disaster relief helicopters as well as the Self-Defense Forces. Evacuation orders were issued to 167 households, and on the night of the 16th, a maximum of 38 people spent the night in evacuation centers.
“I thought it would take quite a while for the fire to reach us, but it was quick,” said an evacuee. “I wondered if our house was still there. I thought it might have burned down. I couldn’t sleep,” said another evacuee. 155 people worked around the night to extinguish the fire, and it was put out 24 hours later on the afternoon of the 17th. “There was a smell of burning near the scene, and something like burnt debris was being blown around by the wind,” said reporter Yuya Kawase.
Looking at it again from above the next morning, it is clear that the fire had approached the houses and the situation was tense. A woman living nearby evacuated to a relative’s house during the night. “It was scary. It’s an old house, but I was terrified that it might have burned down. I felt relieved that the house was still there. I was really grateful that they managed to stop it,” said another woman living nearby. A dry weather warning had been issued for Nemuro City at the time. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but it is important to be extremely careful when handling fire. Following the large-scale forest fire in Nemuro City, people are being urged to be careful about forest fires as the outdoor season approaches.
Data shows that forest fires are concentrated in April and May. The number of forest fires is overwhelmingly high during this period after the snow melts. There are “warnings” and “alerts” for forest fires, and these new systems were introduced in 2026 following a large-scale forest fire that occurred in Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture in February 2025. These are issued by each local government, and if a “warning” is issued in Sapporo City, people are asked to refrain from campfires, smoking, and fireworks as much as possible. If an “alert” is issued, these activities are prohibited. Barbecue grills and charcoal grills are not subject to the restrictions of forest fire warnings and alerts, but if you use these types of fire, you should prepare water to extinguish the fire. As we enter the season when we will be handling fire outdoors more often, please be extra careful.
A large-scale forest fire broke out in Nemuro City, Hokkaido, burning 328 hectares of grassland. Efforts continued throughout the night, and the fire was finally extinguished around noon on April 17th, but why did such a large-scale fire occur? (Cameraman Matsumoto) “You can see that dry grass burned over a wide area.” This is the grassland in Goyomai, Nemuro City, where the large-scale forest fire occurred. It spread over 328 hectares. Burnt fence-like structures and fallen trees can also be seen. (Reporter Washimi) “As far as you can see, all the grassland has burned and turned black.” There were no injuries, but it took almost a full day to extinguish the fire completely. (Person who filmed) “This is bad…” The fire department was notified around 12:30 p.m. on the 16th. Flames were spreading, and black smoke was rising from the area.
At 4 p.m., Hokkaido Prefecture requested disaster relief from the Self-Defense Forces. One Hokkaido helicopter and six Self-Defense Forces helicopters were dispatched. The fire did not go out even after sunset, and firefighting efforts continued throughout the night on the ground. The fire was not completely extinguished until around 12:30 p.m. on the 17th. The forest fire started in Goyomai 1-chome, Nemuro City, and spread southwest. The burned area covered 328 hectares. Evacuation orders were issued to 167 households at one point, and a maximum of 38 people evacuated to Nemuro City Hall. On the 17th, Habomai Gakuen, located nearby, was temporarily closed due to the fire. The fire department and others are investigating the cause of the fire, but it has not yet been determined. (Hokkaido Crisis Management Division Director Akifumi Onishi) “A dry weather warning had been issued. We believe the cause of the fire will be determined later, but it is thought that there was some kind of handling of fire.” At the time, Nemuro City was said to be prone to fires. (Forecaster Isaka) “The humidity was extremely low, with the minimum humidity in the 30% range. A dry weather warning had also been issued, so the air was extremely dry”.
According to the Forestry Agency, there are approximately 1,300 forest fires in Japan each year. Of these, the most frequent is in April. This is thought to be due to relatively low rainfall and dry conditions. On the 17th, a grassy area next to the highway caught fire in Satozuka 3-jo 5-chome, Kiyota-ku, Sapporo. In addition, a fire broke out in Yoichi town, burning part of a field. Forest fires are more likely to occur in spring. Extreme caution is necessary when handling fire.
At around 12:30 p.m. on April 16, a wildfire broke out in Goyomai 1, Nemuro City. As the fire continued to spread, Hokkaido requested the Self-Defense Forces to dispatch helicopters for aerial firefighting at 3:55 p.m. As of 5:00 p.m., firefighting operations, mainly by helicopter, were continuing. No injuries have been reported. At 6:15 p.m., Nemuro City issued evacuation orders to 357 residents in 167 households in Habomai 2, 3, and 4.
