Colombia declares public calamity as wildfire threatens popular tourist area

Wildfire forces evacuations and burns through mountains surrounding Villa de Leyva in the north-east Colombian authorities declared a public calamity as a wildfire burned through mountains surrounding one of the country’s best-known colonial towns in the north-east, scorching large swaths of vegetation and forcing evacuations.

Nearly 20 active fires are burning across the South American country. Dry conditions have…