GATLINBURG, Tenn., Nov. 29 (UPI) — Mandatory and voluntary evacuations spread through neighborhoods in two Tennessee cities Monday night as wildfires in Great Smoky Mountain National Park pumped smoke throughout the area, displacing residents and shutting down roads as the blazes rage.
Officials in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge started picking and choosing neighborhoods to either tell people to leave or just strongly suggest they do so, schools closed, and the park said air in sections of the park and in nearby communities poses a health danger to those exposed to it.
The fire poses a significant threat to people and property at least until rain expected on Monday night begins to fall and slows the spread of flames.
Wildfires have plagued wide swaths of the South so far this fall, with the one chasing residents out of Gatlinburg starting as a spot fire in the Twin Creeks area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which combined with low humidity and wind to start spreading. The flames have claimed about 500 acres in the park so far.
This has broken my heart. Smokey Mtns on fire, gatlinburg evacuated. This is the spur, next to the road.
“I know that it’s hard to potentially think about losing a home or a place that you’ve worked your entire life to build, but we are dealing with a situation that is very dynamic,” said Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller. “The wind is not helping us. The rain is not here yet.”
Shelters opened shortly after officials decided to order an evacuation around 6 p.m. Monday, and buses were made available for those who need transportation to them, as cars filled the roads and people left town.
More than 100 officials are fighting and monitoring the fire, with 80 more firefighters from seven counties expected sometime Tuesday to help battle the blaze.
“We urge the public to pray. We urge the public to stay off the highways. The traffic that is on the roads is emergency equipment. If (the public) could just stay home and stay tuned to their local media outlet,” said Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller.
Just got a group of people off the mountain after two of the three routes off the mountain were blocked. The spur was on fire. #Gatlinburg
