at least three people died in the wildfires raging in gatlinburg, tenn., and at least 14 people were transported to hospitals with fire-related injuries, according to city officials. the three dead were in separate locations outside of gatlinburg, fire chief greg miller said tuesday afternoon at a press conference. the fires under way in gatlinburg are the worst in the state in 100 years, according to tennessee gov. bill haslam. present-elect donald trump and vice president-elect mike pence called him to offer support, he said. mayor mike werner, who lost his home and business to the flames, said the fires spread so quickly monday night that <u+201c>people were basically running for their lives.<u+201d> the city will be under curfew tuesday night into wednesday morning, he said. wildfires fanned by strong winds forced evacuations<u+00a0>monday night in the tennessee towns of gatlinburg and pigeon forge, popular tourist destinations in the smoky mountains. people abandoned homes and businesses, including dolly parton <u+2019>s amusement park dollywood. the winds came ahead of rain, the first substantial amount for the region in months, which brought relief for firefighters battling large drought-induced blazes across southern appalachia. another rain front is expected wednesday. despite the rain, smoke filled the air. <u+201c>the smell is terrible; i can<u+2019>t hardly breathe,<u+201d> said cynthia grantham, owner of the riverchase motel in pigeon forge. her 112-room motel wasn<u+2019>t evacuated, but she watched nervously as other sections of pigeon forge were. a mere three rooms in the motel were occupied during what should be her busy season, she said. she lived in the area for decades and never saw wildfires this extensive, she said. <u+201c>we need that rain bad,<u+201d> she said. more than 14,000 people<u+2014>tourists and residents<u+2014>evacuated the gatlinburg area, according to a statement issued tuesday morning by the tennessee emergency management agency. about 100 homes in sevier county, next to the great smoky mountains national park, were damaged by the fires, according to tema. about 30 businesses, including a 16-story hotel and an apartment building, both in gatlinburg, were damaged. major roads into gatlinburg were closed. by tuesday morning, about 1,100 people were gathered at emergency shelters in the area. about 100 tennessee national guard troops were sent to help. <u+201c>even with the rain that is currently falling there, the fires continue to burn and structures remain engulfed with little hope that the rainfall will bring immediate relief,<u+201d> the tema statement read. storms brought about a half an inch of rain to east tennessee on tuesday, and new storms should bring another inch or so wednesday, said david hotz, a meteorologist with the national weather service in morristown, tenn. winds ahead of the second rain front will be <u+201c>very gusty,<u+201d> however, raising concerns that the fires could spread before new rains arrive, he said. there rain is welcome, but it is too early to tell how much of an impact it will have on the fires, said adam rondeau, a spokesman for the u.s. forest service. <u+201c>it<u+2019>s going to be a help,<u+201d> he said. <u+201c>in the next 24 hours we<u+2019>re going to see some definite results.<u+201d> as of<u+00a0>tuesday morning, firefighters were battling 20 large fires<u+2014>blazes burning 100 acres or more<u+2014>across the u.s. southeast, mr. rondeau said. the fires, some of which officials suspect were intentionally set, have destroyed tens of thousands of acres across the south in recent weeks. a severe drought that began earlier this summer has created conditions for wildfires to spread quickly. smoke from the blazes has hurt air quality across the region, including in major cities such as atlanta and charlotte. states including georgia, tennessee, north carolina, alabama, kentucky and virginia imposed outdoor fire bans and other measures. write to cameron mcwhirter at cameron.mcwhirter@wsj.com
tennessee wildfires kill at least three, injure 14  - wsj
cameron mcwhirter