Oregon wildfire destroys homes and raises fears for looming fire season

An Oregon department of transportation photo shows a wildfire burning near Interstate 84 as the blaze shut down the highway between Hood River and The Dalles. Photograph: AP

A growing wildfire in Oregon has destroyed multiple homes and prompted evacuation orders in the Columbia River Gorge area, in what officials are calling an early warning of the fire season ahead.

The so-called Rowena fire had grown on Thursday to 3,500 acres (1,400 hectares) and remained 0% contained, prompting officials to issue evacuation orders for hundreds of homes and to temporarily close a section of an interstate highway.