![]() ![]() "It (the rain) helped us, but it didn't put out the fire," Waters said. Rain totals were only a tenth of an inch and the rain had ended by 7 am local time. That same storm system finally reached the area early Thursday morning and brought a brief, but much-needed rain. The flames were fueled by high winds ahead of a low-pressure system responsible for an outbreak of damaging severe thunderstorms across the South. You worry about having to face their family if they don't get to go home, and that's what went through our heads as that fire went past them," Watson said. "We always say in the fire service that we'll risk a lot to save a lot. ![]() "The road got blocked and they had to abandon their vehicles and go back into the black (the area that had already been burned) as the fire blew over them." "They were making one heck of a stand," Watson said. Pigeon Forge Fire Chief Tony Watson described a terrifying scene as firefighters tried to protect a local inn on Hatcher Mountain. Minutes later, the agency announced a new mandatory evacuation order. The Sevier County Emergency Management Agency announced late Thursday afternoon that the size of the main evacuation area was being reduced. Some 11,000 homes were involved in all of the evacuations, Waters said. ![]() That fire forced evacuations early Thursday morning, but those orders have since been rescinded after the fire was contained.įire officials said that all other fires were contained and that their main focus was the Hatcher Mountain fire, which more than tripled in size overnight and forced expanded evacuations multiple times. The Hatcher Mountain Fire was one of several fires that broke out in the area Wednesday, including one closer to Gatlinburg proper overnight that happened after wind knocked down a power line that sparked the blaze. Waters said that there were no deaths and no reports of missing persons at this time, but the evacuations would remain in place until firefighters got the upper hand on the blaze. Two firefighters suffered minor injuries, which were treated on the scene. He was flown to the University of Tennessee Medical Center, but there were no updates on his condition. One construction worker on a bulldozer was injured when the fire overran his vehicle. Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters said in a Thursday morning press conference that it was unclear how many of the damaged structures were homes. Some 11,000 homes were under mandatory evacuation orders after the fire started Wednesday and quickly grew in size. The flames had scorched nearly 6 square miles of land and burned more than 100 structures and five firefighting vehicles. The fire was 30% contained, according to an early evening update from the Sevier County Emergency Management Agency. Amid less hazardous weather, firefighters gained ground against a destructive wildfire in the Gatlinburg, Tennessee, area Thursday. ![]()
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