Firefighters were battling an out-of-control fire Wednesday morning that has burned through a neighborhood in southwestern Japan and forced more than 170 people to evacuate.

At least 170 homes have been damaged and a man in his 70s was unaccounted for, Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency said.

The fire started during strong winds Tuesday evening near a fishing port in the city of Oita and spread to a forest. Oita is on the southern island of Kyushu.