Wildfires have been reported in the mountainous regions of two prefectures in western Japan. Residents in some of the areas have been urged to evacuate.

On Sunday afternoon in Okayama Prefecture, a mountain forest fire broke out in Okayama City's Minami Ward.

The fire is still raging in a mountainous region on the northern part of Kojima Peninsula. At the foot of some mountains, there are areas dotted with homes and factories.

By Sunday night, the fire had burned more than 100 hectares.

A neighborhood in Tamano City was among the sectors damaged. Fire fighters have been working to extinguish the blaze.

City officials have issued evacuation orders for about 900 residents. They say the fire is approaching a settlement at the foot of the mountain.

Another forest fire has broken out in the city of Imabari in Ehime Prefecture.

Firefighting officials received a report about the blaze on Sunday afternoon.

They say fire engines and helicopters have been dispatched to extinguish the fire.

City officials are urging people who live near the fire to evacuate.

Some sections of an expressway have been closed, as they are near the blaze. Shikoku Railway Company has stopped some services on the Yosan Line.

A massive wildfire broke out in the northern Japanese city of Ofunato in February. It burned about 3,000 hectares. That figure represents about 9 percent of the city's area.