NE Ga. Residents Watching Fires in Gatlinburg
People across northeast Georgia and the surrounding area are watching the wildfires currently burning in and around Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.
According to the Knoxville News-Sentinel, numerous businesses and homes in Gatlinburg have already been destroyed by the wildfires that spread into that area Monday.
The News-Sentinel quotes one firefighter as saying it was “the apocalypse” on both sides of downtown.
As of earlier this morning, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency reported that Sevier County officials estimated about 100 homes impacted in that county with 10 homes impacted in Gatlinburg from the fire.
Approximately 30 structures have been impacted in Gatlinburg, including a 16-story hotel on Regan Drive and the Driftwood Apartments reported fully-involved near the Park Vista Hotel.
People have been evacuated from downtown Gatlinburg, as well as other areas of the town and some areas of Pigeon Forge as well, including Dollywood and its resort.
In the News-Sentinel report, it states that thousands were without power and more than a thousand people were being sheltered in the Gatlinburg Community Center and Rocky Top Sports Park.
The Knoxville paper also reports that hundreds evacuated to the LeConte Center in Pigeon Forge.
At this time, there have been no reports of fatalities, though some injuries have been reported.