Two forest fires continued to spread toward residential areas in a northern Japanese town on Friday, prompting authorities to expand evacuation orders to more than 3,000 people as firefighters struggled to bring the blazes under control, according to media reports.

The fires began on Wednesday afternoon in a mountainous region of Iwate Prefecture. A second blaze ignited roughly two hours later about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) away near the town of Otsuchi, compounding the challenge for emergency responders.

Since then, crews from the Fire Department have been battling the flames both on the ground and from the air, but the situation remains uncontained, public broadcaster NHK reported.

The wildfires have already scorched more than 1,176 hectares (2,905 acres) of land and forced evacuation orders affecting 1,541 households, or approximately 3,233 residents. Authorities have been working to move people out of harm’s way as the fires edge closer to populated areas.

According to TBS News, the incident is now considered the second-largest wildfire in Japan, surpassed only by a 2025 fire in Ofunato that consumed around 3,370 hectares. Despite the scale of the current disaster, there have been no reported casualties so far. However, seven buildings have been destroyed, including one residential home, NHK said.

The advancing flames have also disrupted evacuation efforts. One shelter was forced to close on Friday morning as the fire approached, underscoring the volatile and rapidly changing conditions on the ground. Firefighters continue to work to contain the blazes as authorities monitor the situation closely and prepare for further evacuations if necessary.

Reuters contributed to this report