Donations are amassed in the Gatlinburg area. Tyler Warner • The Daily Beacon
3 dead in Gatlinburg wildfires Chris Salvemini
Asst. News Editor A wildfire that has destroyed more than 150 homes and businesses in Gatlinburg also caused the death of three people, Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters said at a news conference on Tuesday. Two thousand people were displaced from their homes, and 12 patients have been transported to local hospitals in the Knoxville area for non-life threatening conditions. Fourteen thousand residents and visitors have been evacuated from Gatlinburg and the surrounding
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area, including Pigeon Forge. “As far as preparation, there was not much we could do besides ensure the safety of everyone at Sugarlands Distilling Company,” Jay Miller said, ho works at Sugarland Distillery Company towards the middle of Gatlinburg. “Most of us were up through the night follow the fast moving wildfires and hoping for the best. So far, five people who work at the distillery lost their homes in the out of control fire. We are coming together as a family to try to help them recover from this tragedy.” The Gatlinburg wildfire began from another nearby wildfire in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As winds picked up to almost 80
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mph late Monday evening and early Tuesday night, the flames were swept towards the village. “All the conditions just came together to create the perfect storm,” Henri D. Grissino-Mayer, a professor of geography and an expert on forest wildfires, said. “That’s what they are calling this, and that’s exactly what happened. You have a major drought going on, you have a lot of fuels in and around Gatlinburg because we’ve been putting fires out for decades now, you have arsonists and you have high winds from the local weather.” See GATLINBURG on Page 2
Wednesday, November 30, 2016