Firefighters were Tuesday battling Japan's worst wildfire in half a century, which has left one dead and forced the evacuation of nearly 4,000 local residents.

Rain appears to have halted the spread of Japan's worst wildfire in more than half a century, officials said Thursday, as residents expressed relief the smoke was gone.

Japan is reeling from its most devastating wildfire in 50 years, leaving entire communities scorched and experts scrambling to uncover the cause. Initial investigations point to a combination of climate-driven drought,