One person is missing and 175 others have been evacuated due to a large fire that affected at least 170 buildings in a Japanese residential area, local authorities reported on Wednesday. According to NHK, the country’s public broadcaster, firefighters were still battling on Wednesday to extinguish a fire in the city of Oita, on the southern island of Kyushu, as it spread to nearby forests.
❗️⚠️🇯ppa – A large fire occurred in the Saganoseki district of Oita City, Japan on November 18, 2025.
The fire broke out at around 17:45 local time in a densely populated residential area near the Saganoseki fishing port and quickly spread to at least 20 buildings, including… pic.twitter.com/vMLAgfdCxW
— 🔥🗞The Informant (@theinformant_x) November 18, 2025
Video recorded on Tuesday evening showed firefighters extinguishing a large fire that destroyed homes, while people were taken to emergency evacuation centers.
“The fire rose high, turning the sky red. The wind was blowing hard. I didn’t expect the fire to spread this far,” explained one man to NHK. “The mountain is on fire,” another person reported. “I brought my driver’s license and smartphone.”
The fire broke out late Tuesday, causing the evacuation of 115 households, or 175 people, the regional government said in a statement. At least 170 buildings were affected by the fire. The governor of Oita Prefecture spoke with the army to ask for support, according to a press release. One person was still missing and 300 homes in parts of Oita were without electricity, the same source added.
