Unseasonably warm weather in northern Japan sparks fires that in turn force evacuations, reported France Press, quoted by BTA.
Helicopters spent hours pouring water over burning forests in the mountains around the town of Nanyo in the Yamagata region, where temperatures are unusually high for the season. About 400 people had to be evacuated from three counties due to the risk of the fire spreading.
The weather in this area is usually cooler, but on Saturday the temperature there reached 31 degrees Celsius.
Last month, 25 degrees were recorded in the city of Sapporo - the highest temperature since such measurements began in Japan in 1877.