Japan's biggest fire in nearly 50 years

A fire ripped through more than 170 buildings and killed one person in a southern Japanese coastal city on Wednesday, with military and firefighting helicopters scrambling to extinguish the country's largest urban blaze in almost half a century.



Aerial footage from broadcasters showed houses reduced to rubble and thick plumes of smoke rising from the hilly Saganoseki district of Oita city, which overlooks a fishing harbour renowned for its premium Seki-brand mackerel.



The flames had also spread to nearby forested slopes and an uninhabited island more than one kilometre off the coast, likely due to strong winds.



The blaze started on Tuesday evening and has burned 48,900 square metres - roughly the size of seven soccer fields - forcing 175 residents in the district, some 770 km southwest of Tokyo, to flee to an emergency shelter.



The cause of the fire was under investigation.



One person has been found dead, while a woman in her 50s was reported to be hospitalised for mild burns.