The mayor of Ofunato City in northeastern Japan's Iwate Prefecture has said there is no fear of a fire spreading again from the forest fire that broke out in the city on February 26. He declared the wildfire extinguished.



Fuchigami Kiyoshi made the declaration on Monday, 40 days after the start of the fire that killed one person and damaged 221 structures, including homes.



The fire burned about 2,900 hectares.



On March 9, the fire was declared under control. Firefighters, including some from local volunteer fire brigades, have since been working to confirm from the air and on the ground if any remaining fire or thermal source may exist.



Fuchigami on Monday joined an aerial inspection, boarding a helicopter himself, which found no new heat sources. He made the declaration past 5:30 p.m.



The mayor said he will give top priority to rebuilding the livelihoods of people affected by the disaster in coordination with the central and prefectural governments.



He also pledged efforts to prevent fires and strengthen disaster response capabilities.



Wildfires also broke out in other Japanese regions on Monday. In the city of Goto, Nagasaki Prefecture, western Japan, a forest fire at one point was only about 100 meters from a residential area. Fire officials said the blaze was gradually losing its strength.



In Minoh City in the western prefecture of Osaka, firefighting efforts have been taking place against a forest fire.