Firefighters and army helicopters battled a fire Wednesday that burned through a neighborhood in southwestern Japan, killing one person, injuring another and forcing more than 170 people to evacuate.

A man in his 70s was unaccounted for and firefighters later found a body, possibly of the missing man, and a woman in her 50s suffered a minor injury, the Oita prefectural disaster response team said.

At least 170 homes have been damaged or burned down, the team said.

Dozens of fire engines and more than 200 firefighters were mobilized to battle the fire, which was not fully under control nearly 20 hours after it started.

The Ground Self-Defense Force dispatched two UH1 army helicopters to assist.

The fire started during strong winds Tuesday evening near a fishing port in the city of Oita

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