A wildfire outside Portland, Oregon, forced hundreds of local residents to evacuate on Tuesday as it ravaged the Columbia River Gorge and sent burning embers raining on communities.
The inferno has burned 10,000 acres since it broke out on Saturday, destroying landmarks in one of the Pacific Northwest’s most prized natural areas.
It was one of 81 large fires burning in the United States on Tuesday and led authorities to order 400 households in Multnomah County, Oregon, to evacuate.
A spokesman for the Oregon state Fire Marshal’s Office, told reporters that in his 18 years experience in the area he had never seen a wildfire propel ash as intensely as the Eagle Creek Fire.
Colombian President, Juan Manuel Santos, says one of the country’s most violent crime gangs, is willing to surrender to the government.
The notorious Golfo Clan is accused of operating profitable drug trafficking routes, in partnership with Mexican cartels, and taking part in illegal gold mining.
Santos says the government is not going to negotiate with the gang, because members are criminals, and not politically motivated rebels like the FARC and ELN.