Japan has suffered its most destructive urban fire in nearly 50 years after a massive blaze tore through the Saganoseki district of Oita City, leaving one person dead and dozens of families homeless.

The inferno broke out late Tuesday and rapidly engulfed the densely built hillside neighborhood, driven by strong winds sweeping in from the nearby fishing harbor—famous for its premium Seki-brand mackerel. Television footage showed long rows of homes reduced to smoking ruins as thick plumes of black and gray smoke blanketed the area.

According to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, the blaze consumed roughly 48,900 square meters—an area the size of seven football fields. The flames even leapt to surrounding forested hillsides and reached an uninhabited island more than a kilometer offshore, underscoring the fire’s ferocity.

Authorities said 175 residents were evacuated to emergency shelters as more than a hundred firefighters and multiple helicopters worked through the night to contain the blaze. The response was one of Japan’s largest for an urban fire in recent years.

Officials confirmed the fire has now been largely brought under control, though investigations are ongoing into its cause. The disaster has shaken the small coastal community, located about 770 kilometers southwest of Tokyo, where many residents say they have lost everything.