Tennessee wildfire kills 4, injures over 4 dozens
At least four people have been killed and dozens more have been injured from the wildfires that have been tearing through the US state of Tennessee over the past few days.
The historic wildfires across the Great Smoky Mountains National Park took their fourth victim in Gatlinburg, authorities confirmed Wednesday.
The fire has burned over 150 homes and businesses, injuring some 50 people and displacing 14,000.
According to official reports, at least 15,000 acres of land in the Great Smoky Mountains have been consumed by the raging blaze, which started on Monday and quickly spread across residential areas due to high winds.
Despite a three-day fight, firefighters have not been able to do much in stopping the inferno. At least one firefighter was injured during the operation, Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters said.
According to Waters, the number of casualties was expected to rise as the search for possible victims continued. The rescue mission was hindered in some areas due to blocked roads and power outages.
More than 100,000 people were left without power, Waters said.
Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller said that at least eight new fires had erupted between Tuesday and Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the heavy rains that followed the fire have posed a new challenge for authorities as they tried to assess damages, according to Miller.
“We're experiencing small rockslides and mudslides as we have to go back into areas we previously thought were accessible,” he said.
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam called the blaze the state’s worst in 100 years.
The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said late Tuesday that an evacuation order was still in place for Gatlinburg.
Gatlinburg has a population of 4,000 people and is a very popular tourist destination, drawing more than 11 million visitors a year.
Gatlinburg Mayor Mike Werner, who lost his home in the fire described the situation as “a devastating time for us and for Gatlinburg.”
Although wildfires have been ravaging the drought-stricken South over the past weeks, this was the first time residential areas and businesses were being destroyed on a large scale.
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