Sevier County is once again engulfed in flames.
According to WBIR, “Fire crews from around the area were called in to help battle a 30-acre brush fire in the Gatlinburg/Pittman area.”
As well as the brush fire, the high winds have been toppling power lines and trees, leaving over 12,000 homes without power. The National Park service said winds were up to 98 miles per hour in some places.
The Knoxville News Sentinel reports that fire crews are attempting to “get a line around the fire…to deny it fuel.”
Nathan Waters, from the state Division of Forestry called the publication and said, “It has been very hard to get a line around the fire because the wind keeps jumping the fire over the line. It’s also a little hard to judge how big the fire is. There is a lot of smoke and it’s not blowing straight up because of the wind.”
Several facilities and roads are closed and Dolly Parton’s theme park Dollywood has reportedly closed early due to the weather. The fire is reportedly close to Cobby Nob, the community that was hit with a 17,000 acre wildfire in November 2016.
Sevier County Twitter has issued warning to its residents.
Please stay off the roads unless it is absolutely necessary or you need to get to the Pigeon Forge Community Center shelter.
— Sevier County (@SevierCounty) May 4, 2017
As of 3:30 p.m., the only active fire in Sevier County is east of Pittman Center, near Branam Hollow Road.(1/3)
— Sevier County (@SevierCounty) May 4, 2017
It is approximately 55 acres in size. There are no reports of injuries or damage to structures due to the fire.(2/3)
— Sevier County (@SevierCounty) May 4, 2017
Crews continue to fight the fire. There is no evacuation in place at this time.(3/3)
— Sevier County (@SevierCounty) May 4, 2017
At the time of publication, the fire has grown from 30 acres to 60-80 acres and is only 10% contained. Luckily, there have been no injuries or structural damage reported.
The fire is believed to have started around 11am, with no indication of the cause. Our prayers are with the firefighters who are attempting to put out the fires and the people of East Tennessee affected by it and the high winds.