Tennessee wildfires near Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge prompt evacuations

SEVIER COUNTY, Tenn. — A wildfire that began Wednesday morning in Sevier County, Tennessee, continued to burn early Thursday, prompting evacuations near popular Smoky Mountains National Park tourist destinations, officials said.

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According to WBIR and WVLT, the Sevier County Emergency Management Agency said Wednesday night that the blaze, dubbed the Hatcher Mountain Road/Indigo Lane Fire, had reached 1,000 acres. The fire has injured at least one person and affected 35 structures, the news outlets reported.

The blaze remained at “0% containment” as of 9 p.m. Wednesday, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture said in a tweet.

Early Thursday, authorities issued evacuation orders for Wears Valley and Walden’s Creek, WBIR reported. Gatlinburg also issued and later “lifted its mandatory evacuation in the Ownby Hills and Hidden Hills subdivisions” after “a downed power line ignited a 1.5-acre brush fire,” the city’s government said in a Facebook post.

“Those who were evacuated from these areas during the event are free to return to their residences or rental units,” read the post shared shortly after 4:30 a.m.

Three shelters, including the Sevierville Convention Center, the Pigeon Forge Community Center and Seymour Heights Christian Church in Seymour remained open as of 8 a.m., according to a map maintained by emergency management officials.

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