Japan’s worst wildfire in 50 years has left thousands of wild and domestic animals trapped in a blazing inferno, with few routes to escape the flames. From deer and monkeys to birds and smaller forest creatures,

It has damaged dozens of homes and forced hundreds of people to evacuate in the north eastern coastal city of Ofunato.

Thousands of residents in Japan were evacuated on Monday (March 3), after a wildfire spread to become the biggest fire in decades in the country, according to a local media report. Aerial footage aired by local broadcasters showed heavy white smoke rising and fires blazing at night from a forested area,

The fire also follows Japan's hottest summer on record last year, as climate change pushes up temperatures worldwide. As of Tuesday morning, the wildfire had engulfed around 2,600 hectares, the fire and disaster management agency said -- over seven times the area of New York's Central Park.