Forest fires with unknown causes: pioneering measures, the "Ofunato model"

The forest fire burned about 3,370 hectares, which is 10% of the area of Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture, and was the largest in the Heisei era. I used to work in Iwate, and this was my first time reporting in Ofunato in 14 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake, and I was reminded of the seriousness of natural disasters that occur repeatedly. Strong winds and fires are quite likely to occur in the future, and Iwate Prefecture and Ofunato Ci…