More than 14,000 people reportedly have been forced to evacuate as wildfires blazed through the most visited national park in the United States, officials in eastern Tennessee announced on Tuesday.
People in towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge had to evacuate as fire spread across the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, impacting 100 houses and 30 businesses and injuring about a dozen people, the Washington Post and New York Times reported.
More from the Times:
No deaths had been reported as of Tuesday morning, the [Tennessee Emergency Management Agency] said, and four people with burns had been transported to hospitals. The agency said that about 11,600 people had been left without power in Sevier County.
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Gatlinburg is a resort town about 50 miles from Knoxville at the national park’s base in eastern Tennessee. Nearby Pigeon Forge is home to the Dollywood theme park and water park. Both towns feature Christmas-themed entertainment at this time of year, drawing visitors from around the country.
The Associated Press offered more on the issues facing Dollywood:
Officials with Dollywood, the amusement park named after country music icon Dolly Parton, said the theme park wasn’t damaged, but more than a dozen cabins operated by the park had been.
Dollywood suspended park operations at least through Wednesday. Its DreamMore resort will be open on a limited basis as a shelter and for registered guests.
Social media users and local media have been posting harrowing images of the fire online:
The Post reported that 10,000 fish, penguins and other animals at the Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies in Gatlinburg had been threatened by the fire, but were reportedly safe after having “narrowly [escaped] flames and smoke that had threatened the structure overnight.”
