Satellite imagery shows damage following Japan's biggest fire in nearly 50 years<br /><br />A fire rips through more than 170 buildings and killed one person in a southern Japanese coastal city on Nov. 19, 2025, becoming Japan’s biggest such disaster in near half century. Satellite imagery showed the before and after the fire, as houses were reduced to rubble in the hilly Saganoseki district of Oita city which overlooks a fishing harbor renowned for its premium Seki-brand mackerel. The flames had also spread to nearby forested slopes and an uninhabited island more than one kilometer off the coast, likely due to strong winds, local media reported. The blaze started on the evening of Nov. 18, 2025 and has burned 48,900 square meters - roughly the size of seven soccer fields - forcing 175 residents in the district, some 770 km (478 miles) southwest of Tokyo, to flee to an emergency shelter, Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency said. The cause of the fire was under investigation, the agency added.<br /><br />VANTOR / REUTERS<br /><br /><br />Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe<br /><br />Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net<br /><br />Follow us:<br />Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook<br />Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram<br />Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter<br />DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion<br /><br />Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital<br /><br />Check out our Podcasts:<br />Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify<br />Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts<br />Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic<br />Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer<br />Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein
