Japanese scientist say there is a new threat associated with tsunamis: Fire.

Thanks to our reliance on petroleum products, especially fuel, coastal cities face destruction by fire, as well as water.

Several Japanese coastal towns burned to the ground because of fires started by the tsunami.  Boats, cars and fuel storage facilities hit by the tsunami, spilled fuel onto the water, catching fire, apparently by sparks from metal being clashed together in the tsunami, or electrical shorts in boats and cars.

Those fires then spread to buildings.  Local fire departments discovered that water lines for fire hydrants had been destroyed by the quake/tsunami.

Hardest hit by the fires, Kesennuma, suffered intense fire. Witnesses say that fire spread throughout the city in less than 3 hours after the tsunami hit. The city was still burning 5 days later.