GATLINBURG, Tenn. -- Deadly wildfires engulfed two tourist towns near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, along with much of the surrounding timberlands, destroying more than 150 homes and businesses and displacing thousands of residents and visitors.
The fires killed at least three people and injured at least 14 others, officials said Tuesday.
Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters confirmed the deaths but said he didn't have any additional details late Tuesday. Officials were still conducting search and rescue missions.
"We have not been able to get in all of the areas," Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller said. "We pray that we don't experience any more fatalities, but there are still areas that we are trying to get to because of down trees and down power lines."
Search and rescue efforts were underway throughout Sevier County as dusk arrived in the charred, smoke-choked mountains, but certain areas remained unreachable, authorities said Tuesday evening.
The blazes forced more than 14,000 people to flee the area and left "in excess of 150" buildings in ruin, officials said.
The "unprecedented" fires started with one on the Chimney Tops mountain, one of the most popular hiking destinations in the Smokies, emergency officials said. Strong winds and dry ground carried embers and flames into the resort cities of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. The flames moved too fast and too far to contain.
"This is a fire for the history books," Miller said at a news conference Tuesday.
"We've got some pretty ominous forecasting for this evening. Sixty-mile-an-hour winds are forecast several hours ahead of more rain. So we may spend a lot of this evening fighting more fires," he said.
A line of strong to marginally severe storms was expected in east Tennessee into early this morning, with damaging straight-line winds and lightning possible.
Miller said the Chimney Tops fire, which was reported Sunday, started to rage Monday night when winds rose to 87 mph, carrying away fiery embers, and knocking trees and power lines to the ground.
Officials at Great Smoky Mountains National Park said Tuesday morning that the fires and fallen trees had forced the temporary closure of the most visited national park in America. In the surrounding towns, the sky was smoky and the ground wet with rain. Officials said the wind had died down, but a handful of buildings continued to burn.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, a Republican, said Tuesday afternoon that the state was sending resources, including the National Guard, to help those who had been affected by the fires.
"We will do all we can to help these communities rebuild & recover," Haslam wrote on Twitter.
National park officials explained that wind gusts of more than 80 mph, combined with "unprecedented low relative humidity, and extended drought conditions," caused the fire "to spread rapidly and unpredictably."
"Wind gusts carried burning embers long distances causing new spot fires to ignite across the north-central area of the park and into Gatlinburg," Great Smoky Mountains National Park wrote on its Facebook page Tuesday morning. "In addition, high winds caused numerous trees to fall throughout the evening on Monday bringing down power lines across the area that ignited additional new fires that spread rapidly due to sustained winds of over 40 mph."
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The conditions made it difficult -- if not impossible -- for firefighters to contain the flames.
"There were times last night that we had wind gusts in excess of 87 miles an hour. That is hurricane force. That is nowhere to be when trying to fight a fire," Miller said Tuesday.
The fire that roared through Gatlinburg began last week in the national park, park officials said. That original fire is believed to have been caused by people, national fire managers said in a report. Whether it was intentionally set or an accident hasn't been explained by authorities.
Residents in disbelief
Residents in the Sevier County area evacuated as trees caught fire on the low slope of the hills and mountains on either side of roads.
"Fire was coming over the mountains, and the smoke was so bad we could barely breathe as we were trying to pack up," Mike Gill, who was evacuating with his wife, Betty, told NBC News.
Katie Brittain, manager at the Dress Barn in Pigeon Forge, said that when she arrived at work Monday, the sky was brown and ash was raining down. Despite the ominous conditions, store employees weren't sure whether they were supposed to evacuate from their location, not far from Dolly Parton's theme park, Dollywood.
She said employees stayed put but grew increasingly nervous as the smoke thickened and the wind increased that afternoon. By the end of the day, she said, the inside of the store "smelled like a bonfire."
"The smell was really, really bad," she said. "My eyes were burning and our throats were getting scratchy."
"Everyone was kind of in a state of disbelief," she added.
At least 14 people were transported from Gatlinburg for medical treatment of mostly nonlife-threatening injuries, officials said Tuesday.
In Gatlinburg, flames threatened private structures, including the 300-room Park Vista hotel. Inside the hotel, dozens of guests were trapped Monday by a wall of flames surrounding the building.
Logan Baker told NBC affiliate WBIR that the firefighters initially told guests that they would be safe inside the building, but a short time later, "they saw flames coming down the hill." By the time guests had packed their cars with luggage, however, it was too late to escape, Baker said, noting that the only road out was covered in flames.
"When you opened the doors, it just blew you back," he said. "Embers started flying into the hotel."
Baker told WBIR that he helped get people back inside the hotel, and firefighters told them to remain in the lobby while they fought the fire outside.
Miller said late Tuesday that officials were still conducting search and rescue missions in the area.
"We pray that we don't experience any more fatalities, but there are still areas that we are trying to get to" because of downed trees and power lines, he said.
Marathon, not a sprint
The town of Gatlinburg, with a population of about 4,000 about 43 miles south of Knoxville, is surrounded on three sides by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Smokies, part of the Appalachian mountain range, straddle the border between Tennessee and North Carolina.
Considered the gateway city to the Tennessee side of the national park, Gatlinburg draws more than 11 million visitors a year, according to tourism officials. It is known for its mountain chalets and ski lodge -- drawing honeymooners and other visitors throughout the year.
Gatlinburg's neighbor, Pigeon Forge, is home to Dollywood, country-themed music venues and attractions, and popular outlet malls.
On Tuesday, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and other officials urged residents in Sevier County to stay clear of roadways to make way for first responders and to stay off wireless devices, unless it was to make emergency calls, to keep systems clear for vital communications. The agency also announced a temporary flight restriction in the area "to prevent aircraft from complicating the response."
"This is going to be a marathon, not a sprint," Michelle Hankes, executive director of the American Red Cross of East Tennessee, said about the response effort.
Hankes, who recorded a video statement at an emergency shelter in Pigeon Forge, said about 130 people, including children, and their pets had turned up at the shelter after fleeing their homes. Hundreds of others were sheltered elsewhere.
"This fire is unpredictable," Hankes said, crying. "We still have wind gusts -- the rain has helped, but it's still a devastating, devastating loss for the people here.
"This is east Tennessee, and we're going to work together."
Officials said in a statement that Dollywood had no real damage by late Tuesday, but that 50 rooms in the park's DreamMore Resort and 19 of its cabins had been evacuated.
"Dollywood crews and firefighters are working to protect the park areas adjacent to a fire burning on Upper Middle Ridge," according to the statement.
Country and western singer Dolly Parton said she's heartbroken over the fires.
"I am praying for all the families affected by the fire and the firefighters who are working so hard to keep everyone safe," Parton said in a statement. "It is a blessing that my Dollywood theme park, the DreamMore Resort and so many businesses in Pigeon Forge have been spared."
Information for this article was contributed by Leslie Wylie, Lindsey Bever, Travis M. Andrews, Angela Fritz and Peter Holley of The Washington Post; and by Steve Megargee, Jonathan Mattise, Rebecca Yonker, Beth Campbell, Jeff Amy, Jack Jones and Bill Fuller of The Associated Press.
A Section on 11/30/2016