Japan is fighting a forest fire that has damaged dozens of homes and forced hundreds of residents to evacuate in a northeastern coastal city.

Hundreds of residents in the northern Japanese city of Ofunato have been forced to evacuate their homes as firefighters battle to contain the country's biggest forest fire in three decades. The blaze has burnt about 2,

Over 1,200 residents have sought refuge in temporary shelters such as school gymnasiums, while another 2,000 have taken shelter with friends or relatives.