Sakata City holds ceremony marking 50 years since Great Sakata Fire

Sakata City held a ceremony on October 25 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Great Sakata Fire, which devastated the city center in 1976. Approximately 800 attendees, including local officials and residents, gathered to honor the memory of those lost and to ensure the lessons learned from the disaster are passed to future generations.

The fire, which began on October 29, 1976, at a movie theater, spread rapidly due to high winds, destroying approximately 22.5 hectares and 1,774 buildings. The disaster resulted in one death, 1,003 injuries, and roughly 3,300 displaced residents.

During the event, Mayor Akiko Yaguchi emphasized that the spirit of mutual aid demonstrated during the recovery remains a vital asset for modern disaster prevention. The ceremony included video presentations of the fire, lectures from former firefighters, and a reenactment of the “water curtain” technique used by emergency services to halt the fire's spread along the Araida River.