S/ Fuchigami Kiyoshi, Ofunato Mayor/ Today, we declare containment as we have determined that there is no danger of the fire spreading.

The mayor of Ofunato in northeastern Japan declared the nation’s largest wildfire in decades as contained in a March 9 press conference.

The declaration was made 11 days after the start of the fire that forced over 4,500 residents to evacuate their homes.

S/ Evacuee/ I want to go home soon. That’s it. I left my cat behind.

S/ Evacuee/ I finally feel relief, and I feel anxious thinking about the future, honestly speaking.

Officials said that 210 structures have been damaged, around 2.7 times more than what was previously announced.

Around 2,900 total hectares or around 9% of the city’s total area was burned.

All remaining evacuation orders were lifted on the morning of March 10, allowing 2,424 residents to return home.

S/ Resident/ The inside of the fridge is okay.

Ofunato residents returned to their homes to clean up without much time to rest from the evacuation.