‘It’s the apocalypse’: Thousands forced to flee resort Tennessee towns as massive wildfire destroys homes and hotels and threatens Dollywood
More than 14,000 people have been forced to evacuate from resort towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge
Officials say 100 homes have been destroyed or damaged, as there’s ‘little hope’ for relief anytime soon
Four people suffered severe burns trying to evacuate and are hospitalized as no deaths have been reported
Westgate Resorts with more than 100 buildings and Ober Gatlinburg are both likely destroyed
A 16-story hotel and every cabin at Black Bear Falls is believed to have been destroyed as well
Dollywood was evacuated and tourists fled the area as wildfires ripped through Eastern Tennessee
Terrifying video shot from the Gatlinburg Park Vista Hilton Hotel shows flames just outside the windows
By HANNAH PARRY
DAILYMAIL.COM
29 November 2016
Spreading Tennessee wildfires in the resort towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge have forced more than 14,000 people to evacuate as officials say the blaze has caused the area to resemble the ‘apocalypse.’
Officials say thousands of residents and visitors in the Gatlinburg area were evacuated from the Great Smoky Mountains and hundreds of structures have been damaged and destroyed by the fire which is the worse to hit the area in decades as of Tuesday morning.
‘The center of Gatlinburg looks good for now,’ Newmansville Volunteer Fire Department Lt. Bobby Balding told the Knoxville News Sentinel on Tuesday. ‘It’s the apocalypse on both sides (of downtown).’
Three people who suffered severe burns while trying to flee have been transferred from a Knoxville hospital to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, which has a burn unit. A fourth person is being treated for facial burns in Knoxville. No deaths have been reported.
The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) says hundreds of firefighters as well as local and state personnel and National Guard troops have been sent in to help fight the blaze and check on people.
Officials say about 14,000 residents and visitors were evacuated from Gatlinburg alone, and the popular Dollywood theme park has also closed due to the dangerous blaze.
TEMA estimates that 100 homes have also been destroyed or damaged by flames, as they say there is ‘little hope’ for relief anytime soon.
Preliminary surveys indicate that Westgate Resorts with more than 100 buildings and Ober Gatlinburg are both likely destroyed, as well as a 16-story hotel. In addition, Black Bear Falls was believed to have lost every cabin.
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