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

Thousands evacuated as Japan battles largest forest fire in decades More than 2,000 firefighters have been deployed to combat Japan’s largest forest fire in 30 years, which continues to burn near Ofunato in northern part of the country.

Japan has deployed more than 2,000 firefighters to battle the country's biggest forest fire in three decades. At least one person has died in the blaze, which has torched more than 5,200 acres around the northern Japanese city of Ofunato since Thursday,

The fire in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture has forced residents to evacuate since breaking out Wednesday and spreading over a wide area toward the Pacific coast.

An area of at least 2,100 hectares in Ofunato, Iwate prefecture, has been destroyed by the blaze. At least one person has died.