Gatlinburg evacuated due to wildfires

Firefighters who were in the area told guests they should be fine, but shortly after “they saw flames coming down the hill”.

Local officials estimate 150 buildings in Sevier County were damaged or destroyed.

No fatalities have been reported, according to TEMA. The National Guard has also been called in to help with the fire. One man was treated for a burn while evacuating. They remain in critical condition. There is one report of an evacuee suffering a burn injury. The fires even burned down a Westgate Resorts location, according to the Orlando Business Journal.

Property damage is widespread: TEMA said Tuesday that “very preliminary surveys of damaged areas” suggested that “hundreds of structures are lost”. In a public statement, park officials said there was no damage to the park as of late Monday night, but 50 rooms in the park’s DreamMore Resort and 19 of its cabins were evacuated.

Law enforcement vehicles drive through the smoke near structures destroyed by wildfires in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

“Gatlinburg is a very strong and resilient community. I mean, we got the clothes on my back and maybe one more outfit”, he said. The smoke from the fires is moving bottom to top, south to north on the radar image.

The blaze forced the evacuation of Pi Beta Phi Elementary School around 12:30 p.m. Sustained winds of 15 to 30 miles per hour were expected, as well as gusts to 45 miles per hour.

TEMA has declared a Level III State of Emergency for the affected areas. “But I also want to say that unless that rain penetrates deep enough into that duff, into that leaf clutter, then those hotspots can still arise”, Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller.

In a stunning video shot by an evacuating resident, homes, cabins, and trees can all be seen engulfed in massive flames. The traffic that is on the roads is emergency equipment.

Emergency officials in Tennessee ordered evacuations in downtown Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge and in other areas of Sevier County near the Smoky Mountains while crews continue to battle the blaze.

Gatlinburg, a city that opens up to 11 million visitors annually, is facing a new reality.

At the peak of the crisis, 2,000 people were at at the six shelters operated by the Red Cross in the area. A Level III State of Emergency remains in effect. Numerous state and nonprofit organizations are coordinating their resources to assist with the wildfire response. Crews will be bringing two fire engines, an ambulance and two heavy SUVs. Three counties in E. Tennessee have now cancelled all schools for tomorrow (Greene, Cocke, Sevier).

Backcountry areas are unsafe for travel and the following trails and backcountry campsites are now closed until further notice: Chimney Tops, Road Prong, Huskey Gap, Sugarland Mountain, Rough Creek, Little River, Cucumber Gap, Jakes Creek, Miry Ridge, Goshen Prong, Old Sugarlands, Bullhead, Rainbow Falls, Alum Cave, Brushy Mountain, Trillium Gap, Baskins Creek, Porters Creek, and Grapeyard Ridge trails.

It appears that the fire was human caused and is under investigation.

“A lot of the families that don’t know where to go or what’s next – we want to give that positive message that everything, absolutely, is going to be OK”, he said. There still will be smoldering logs and burning areas protected by trees, and it will take a thorough soaking to put the fires out.

Workers at an aquarium evacuated because of the wildfires were concerned about the thousands of animals housed there. “(It’s) been just unbelievable what we’ve experienced here”.

People in the Mid-South jumped in to help the victims of the Gatlinburg fires. But the events of Monday’s forest fire in the Smoky Mountains stuck with her.

Pigeon Forge is home to Dollywood, the theme park owned by singer and actress Dolly Parton.

This story was updated at 7 a.m.