Juveniles Charged In Tennessee Wildfires That Killed 14

The two friends are in separate legal postures as they are now charged.

The 2016 Great Smoky Mountains Wildfires, as they’ve come to be known, began on November 28, 2016.

A second fire, the Cobbly Nob blaze, which began five days later, has burned nearly 900 acres and was 67 percent contained Wednesday. These high winds helped the fire grow, according to The New York Times.

“We had wind gusts in excess of 87 miles an hour”. “Everything was catching on fire”. Considering the scale of the devastation, one might expect the fire to have been started by something equally as impactful, however that may not have been the case. To make matters worse, some residents reportedly did not receive evacuation notices until after the fire had already passed the city limits.

Fourteen people were killed and more than 1,500 homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed. The structures along Gatlinburg’s main strip still stand, including Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, Ole Smoky Distillery, the Gatlinburg Space Needle, and the Convention Center.

The charges come just a week after authorities announced that the wildfires were likely started intentionally.

The Smokies are the country’s most-visited national park, and Superintendent Cassius Cash says the days following the fires are “the most challenging and emotional days our community has likely ever had to endure”.

Both juveniles are facing multiple charges including aggravated arson.

Additional charges are being considered, Fourth District Attorney General Jimmy Dunn said, including the possibility of seeking a transfer to adult criminal court, CNN reported.

The juveniles are from Tennessee, but not Sevier County, where the fires spread.

Karyssa Dalton told told the Associated Press that it was appropriate for the juveniles to have to answer for their alleged actions, regardless of their age. Dalton’s grandmother Pamela Johnson is still missing, according to the AP.

If you made a donation, or even if you said a prayer for the victims who lost their lives, loved ones or homes in the fire, you’re helping out people who would do the same for you without hesitation.

“I am proud of how hard our community has worked to provide assistance to those devastated by the fires”, Gatlinburg City Manager Cindy Cameron Ogle said Thursday in a statement.

The second group will be those whose homes and properties suffered damage that requires fix before the residents can move back in.