More than 1,200 evacuated as Japan forest fire continues to burn

A forest fire, which started last Wednesday, continues to spread behind houses in Ofunato, northern Japan (Kyodo News via AP)

Japan is fighting a forest fire that has damaged dozens of homes and forced hundreds of residents to evacuate in a north-eastern coastal city.

The fire has burned about 2,100 hectares (5,190 acres) of forest in Ofunato since it started on Wednesday, according to the country’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency.