Firefighters and helicopters were combating a blaze in a forest on an island here, with media reports saying it may have been started by nearby military exercises.
Public broadcaster NHK’s live footage showed the blaze burning across a wooded hillside in the western Hiroshima region and smoke billowing into the air.
The fire follows the issuing of a dry weather advisory in southern Hiroshima after a long period without rain, with residents urged to take care when handling fire.
The forest is flanked by a shooting range operated by the Maritime Self-Defense Forces (MSDF), which was conducting an “explosives training yesterday”, a spokesman said.
“Gunpowder was being used for the drill,” the official with the MSDF 1st Service School said, adding it “still remains under investigation” whether the explosives had caused the fire.
Around 60 firefighters and four helicopters had been mobilised to put out the blaze, which has engulfed at least two hectares of forest, an official said. — AFP
