In Sevier county of east Tennessee, near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, officials are now considering the possibility that the series of wildfires which began on November 23rd were "likely to be human-caused" in the words of Park Superintendent Cassius Cash. Allegedly, the fire began as sparks from Chimney Tops Trail which spread over 10 miles in as few as 15 minutes due to 90 mph winds. According to most recent tallies 1,000 homes and businesses have been destroyed leaving at least 53 injured and 13 dead as a result of the fires.
The county is also facing widespread power outages. The outages along with debris have made it considerably difficult for search and rescue efforts to effectively scour the area however, by the evening of Friday, December 2nd, officials hope to have preliminarily searched 90 percent of areas affected by the fires. Additionally, of the bodies that have been recovered officials are withholding further information until identities can be confirmed. So far of the 13 identified it has been determined that 12 died from the flames directly and 1 from a heart attack as a result of the fire. As a result of the death toll’s continued daily climb and other critical factors the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) has declared a level 3 state of emergency. With so many missing people still left unfound, many, including Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller, fear that, in Miller’s words, efforts “could be more of a recovery than a rescue.”
In addition to TEMA, the American Red Cross is also working to reunite separated families of people who have been found alive. The Red Cross and other organizations have also worked to temporarily house those who lost their homes as a result of the tragedy.
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam has stated that the tragedy has received support from politicians nationwide was well as from President Obama. In addition, local celebrity gone country music icon: Dolly Parton, whose theme park is located within the county, has began a fundraiser to raise funds for those affected: the "My People Project." Despite the devastation that occurred and continues to occur, efforts to contain the emergency are persistent and ongoing as the full details of the fire’s damages continue to emerge.
