Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Dolly Parton heartbroken over wildfires

Country music star Dolly Parton says she is "heartbroken" over wildfires that have killed three people and injured 14 near her Tennessee resort.

Mandatory evacuations are under way around Gatlinburg as wildfires have set hundreds of buildings ablaze.

The fires threaten Dollywood, a theme park owned by Parton, and an aquarium housing thousands of animals.

Several southern states are battling wind-fuelled wildfires after months of drought.

Image copyright Alamy Stock Photo Image caption Fire officials say the wildfire is "right on the doorstep" of Dollywood

"I have been watching the terrible fires in the Great Smoky Mountains and I am heartbroken," Parton said.

"I am praying for all the families affected by the fire and the firefighters who are working so hard to keep everyone safe."

Dollywood, in the mountain town of Pigeon Forge, has evacuated guests from some of its properties, with several cabins and vacation structures being damaged, a spokesman said.

Parton, 70, had appeared in a public service advertisement on Sunday, asking people nearby to take steps to prevent spreading the fire.

Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that three people had died, but he did not provide further details.

The conflagration in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains was being spread by winds gusting over 80mph (128km/h).

National Guard troops began arriving early on Tuesday morning to help battle the blaze.

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Thousands of people have been evacuated so far.

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The Great Smoky Mountains National Park sent out warnings on social media to avoid the area.

There is concern for more than 10,000 animals at an aquarium in Gatlinburg after all employees were evacuated.

The building is still standing, but "workers are anxious to return to check on the animals", the general manager of Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies, Ryan DeSears, told local media.

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Image copyright Reuters Image caption Motorists stop to view the fires ahead of the evacuation order

A new storm system is predicted to bring high winds, which authorities say could topple dead trees and pose a threat to firefighters.

But the rainfall due to come with the weather system is not expected to end the drought.

"It's way too early to say, 'yes, this drought is over,'" said Mark Svoboda, director of the National Drought Mitigation Center in Nebraska.

"Does it put a dent in it? Yes, but we have a long ways to go."

Neighbouring Georgia as well as North and South Carolina are battling wildfires, too. </s> Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokesman Josh DeVine declined to release details about the juveniles, who have been arrested, citing their ages and the ongoing investigation.

The fires have been centered in Sevier County just east of Knoxville and have damaged or destroyed more than 1,750 structures, local and federal authorities said in a statement.

It was the highest death toll from wildfires in the United States since 2013, when 19 firefighters died near Prescott, Arizona.

"Our promise is that we will do our very best to help bring closure to those who have lost so much," Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director Mark Gwyn said in a statement.

The two youths were charged with aggravated arson and were held at a juvenile detention center in Sevier County, the bureau said in a statement.

It added that authorities from the National Park Service, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Sevier County Sheriff's Office participated in the probe.

The largest of the blazes, the so-called Chimney Tops 2, broke out on Nov. 23 in a remote rugged area dubbed Chimney Tops in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, authorities said.

Fed by drought-parched brush and trees and stoked by fierce winds, the flames quickly spread, turning into an inferno that roared out of the park. Thousands of people were forced to evacuate their homes and businesses.

Authorities have said since last week that the fire was human caused.

A large amount of the damage was in Gatlinburg, known as the "gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains," in eastern Tennessee, about 40 miles (64 km) southeast of Knoxville.

At one point, residents of Pigeon Forge, which is home to country music star Dolly Parton's theme park Dollywood, were forced to leave the area. Dollywood has since re-opened.

Parton and other performers will put on a show Dec. 13 on the Great American Country channel to raise funds for people affected by the fires, Parton's company said in a statement.

The Chimney Tops 2 Fire is 64 percent contained after burning more than 17,000 acres (6,880 hectares), according to the government tracking website InciWeb.

Rainfall over the last week has helped firefighters control the blazes. </s> GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) — The Latest on wildfires burning across the South (all times local):

A Tennessee mayor says three people have died in the wildfires that destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses near the Great Smoky Mountains.

Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters said Tuesday afternoon that he didn't have any details on the deaths. The mayor says authorities are going door-to-door to make sure everyone is safe. About a dozen people have been injured.

Gatlinburg's mayor says they firefighters are still battling hotspots and there will be a curfew in effect Tuesday night. More than 14,000 residents and tourists were forced to evacuate the tourist city in the mountains.

Aquarium officials in wildfire-threatened Gatlinburg, Tennessee, say they have a team of biologists inside the facility and that all of the 10,000 fish and other animals are safe.

Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies made the announcement in a statement Tuesday, hours after workers had to flee the building when wildfires fueled by high winds spread across parts of eastern Tennessee. More than 14,000 people in the city were forced to leave and an entire resort was wiped out by the fire. A dozen people were injured but no deaths have been reported.

Aquarium officials say police escorted an "emergency team" back into the facility to check on the animals Tuesday.

The aquarium will remain closed until the evacuation orders are lifted. Officials say more than 2 million people visit the aquarium each year.

A county mayor in Tennessee says that an aquarium threatened by wildfires is intact and running on a generator.

At a news conference Tuesday, Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters said Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies was OK as of Tuesday morning. Workers there evacuated and have been worried about the more than 10,000 animals housed there.

Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller says 12 people have been injured in the wildfires in the Gatlinburg area, most with non-life-threatening injuries. He said they haven't received any reports of missing people.

Miller said the fire spread Monday night by winds that at times exceeded 87 miles per hour.

Dollywood representatives say the theme park hasn't been damaged by wildfires, but more than a dozen cabins operated by the park have been damaged or destroyed.

A news release says Dollywood made an assessment of the park early Tuesday morning. On Monday night, resort staff evacuated families staying in 50 rooms at Dollywood's DreamMore Resort and in 19 of Dollywood's Smoky Mountain Cabins.

The release notes that Dollywood has suspended park operations at least through Wednesday, but DreamMore will be open on a limited basis as a shelter and for registered guests.

Also on Tuesday, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency reported that the Ober Gatlinburg amusement park and ski area is fine. The agency previously received reports that the facility was likely destroyed.

Preliminary surveys indicate that the fires have wiped out the more than 100 buildings of the Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa.

Tennessee officials say thousands of residents and visitors in the Gatlinburg area have been evacuated and hundreds of structures have been damaged and destroyed by spreading wildfires.

In a news release Tuesday morning, authorities say three people who suffered severe burns 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.

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency 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.

According to the news release, preliminary surveys indicate that Westgate Resorts with more than 100 buildings and Ober Gatlinburg are both likely destroyed.

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency says officials in the Gatlinburg area estimate that about 100 homes have been damaged or destroyed by flames from spreading wildfires.

Emergency officials in Tennessee ordered evacuations in downtown Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge and in other areas of Sevier County near the Smoky Mountains while crews continue to battle the blaze. Officials say the wildfire has set 30 structures ablaze in Gatlinburg, including a 16-story hotel. TEMA says no deaths have been reported, though one person was burned while evacuating.

Officials say there are about 1,200 people sheltering at the Gatlinburg Community Center and the Rocky Top Sports Park. Several other shelters have opened to house those forced from their homes. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency says National Guard troops are being sent in to help out as wildfires continue to spread in Gatlinburg and surrounding areas in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. TEMA spokesman Dean Flener says the troops will transport first responders, perform welfare checks and remove debris. Emergency officials in Tennessee ordered evacuations due to the blaze in downtown Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge and in other areas of Sevier County. Officials say the wildfire has set 30 structures ablaze in Gatlinburg, including a 16-story hotel. TEMA says no deaths have been reported, though one person was burned while evacuating. Officials say there are about 1,200 people sheltering at the Gatlinburg Community Center and the Rocky Top Sports Park. Meanwhile, officials say about 12,000 people are without power and three school systems had canceled classes Tuesday. As storms approach some of the largest wildfires burning in the South, the rain signaled new hope for firefighters working to put them out. But authorities said the storms were also bringing high winds, which could topple the many dead trees and branches in burning forests and pose a threat to firefighters. And experts predicted rains from one storm system wouldn't be enough to end the relentless drought that's spread across several states. The storms appeared to be taking aim at the two largest wildfires in the South — the nearly 28,000-acre Rough Ridge Fire in north Georgia and the nearly 25,000-acre Rock Mountain Fire burning on both sides of the Georgia-North Carolina line. Authorities said 22 other large wildfires were burning throughout the Southeast U.S. </s> Gatlinburg, Tennessee (CNN) Three people died in raging wildfires in Sevier County, Tennessee, that scorched roughly 15,000 acres, showered residents with embers and forced tourists to evacuate from resort communities.

The wildfires, which started Monday, damaged or destroyed more than 250 buildings throughout part of eastern Tennessee that's home to the resort towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. In a dizzying 24-hour period, though, officials said Tuesday the disaster spared some major tourist attractions.

Evacuees said the fire that spread without warning from the Great Smoky Mountains, surrounding their homes. They were forced to leave with only the clothes on their backs.

"There was flames everywhere," 52-year-old Gatlinburg resident Mark Benzschawel told CNN's Nick Valencia. "It was a firestorm."

Benzschawel said police banged on his door Monday night to wake him and his partner, Denise Bearden. The couple alerted their neighbor, who managed to escape with her dog.

Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller said that the three victims killed in the blaze died in separate incidents.

"We pray we don't experience any more fatalities but there are still areas that we're trying to get to because of down trees and down power lines," Miller said.

The fire that sparked the dozen other blazes was started by a person," National Park Service spokeswoman Dana Soehn said without offering further specifics.

The cause of blaze remains under investigation.

During the storm's first 24 hours, strong gusts of up to nearly 90 mph scattered a wildfire's embers across the Great Smoky Mountains National Park into nearby communities. Fires fed off drought-stricken trees. Winds knocked down power lines -- contributing to thousands losing electricity. In turn, that led to new fires.

The fire destroyed a number of structures at Gatlinburg's Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa. A major attraction, the Ober Gatlinburg ski area and amusement park that overlooks the city, appeared to be spared. But on a road leading to the resort, what used to be homes have been reduced to burned-out husks.

Only the bricks remained intact -- and only in places. The insides have been eaten away by the fire.

Cars parked outside suffered the same fate -- their paint burned to ash, their tires melted away. Uprooted trees leaned on power lines.

Smoke, which turned the sky a bleak gray, continued to drift Tuesday from burned-out vehicles and the charred remains of buildings.

"It is absolutely devastating," said Mark Nagi of the Tennessee Department of Transportation, who posted footage of the destruction on his Twitter feed.

On Tuesday, firefighters continued to put out flames and clear fallen trees and telephone poles from roadways, Chief Miller said. But authorities have issued evacuation orders for Gatlinburg and nearby areas including parts of Pigeon Forge.

Pigeon Forge is home to Dollywood, the theme park owned by singer and actress Dolly Parton. At Dollywood, officials with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park evacuated guests from its resort and cabins as flames approached the area. The park was not damaged.

In a statement, Parton said she was heartbroken about the fire damage and had been "praying for all the families affected."

"It is a blessing that my Dollywood theme park, the DreamMore Resort and so many businesses in Pigeon Forge have been spared," she added.

Several emergency shelters opened to accommodate evacuees. About 1,300 people stayed overnight at the local community center and park. Nearby the Great Smoky Mountains National Park evacuated employees from the Elkmont and park headquarters housing areas on Monday.

Some residents needed oxygen after inhaling smoke, other huddled near the shelters. Officials in Cocke and Sevier counties have canceled classes for Wednesday.

"We watched a building go down in flames," said one tearful evacuee who firefighters rescued.

Officials said they remain uncertain certain when residents would be able to return to evacuated neighborhoods. A curfew remained in effect from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Some people -- including guests at one Gatlinburg hotel -- could not safely leave the area as the fire advanced Monday night.

"I just see fire everywhere," said Baker.

The fire had not reached the hotel, but smoke had permeated the building, making it hard to breathe, he said. Guests stood in the hotel lobby Monday night with masks over their faces.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, who flew over the scorched forest, said the region's damage was "a little numbing" given how "special" it was for the entire state.

"Millions have families have come here and will continue to come here," Haslam said.

Bracing for the threat of more fires

Despite some progress battling the Tennessee fire, officials braced for the possibility of spot fires headed into Wednesday.

"The single greatest concern would be the wind," Miller said. "The greater the wind speed is, it just makes our job a little harder. It creates these additional spot fires."

According to CNN meteorologist Michael Guy, the nearby Great Smoky Mountains were under a high wind warning, with possible wind gusts of up to 60 mph.

The area could be helped by up to 2 inches of rainfall expected overnight. The stormy weather's threat could be twofold: Lightning strikes could spark more fires or the downpour could prompt flash flooding.

"It's a devastating time for us, and for Gatlinburg," Gatlinburg Mayor Mike Werner said. "We're strong, we're resilient,...we're going to make it." </s> Two juveniles face charges of aggravated arson in connection with a deadly Tennessee wildfire that began in late November and spread to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, according to Mark Gwyn, director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

Additional charges are being considered, 4th District Attorney General James Dunn said, including the possibility of seeking a transfer to adult criminal court.

He said the youths were from Tennessee, but not from Sevier County, where the fires started. Neither their ages nor genders were released.

Fourteen people lost their lives in the fires and a further 134 were injured, according to officials. Residents and visitors to the resort-heavy area were among the dead.

The area is a popular tourist destination in eastern Tennessee, home to the Dollywood amusement park and the resort town of Pigeon Forge. Recent heavy rains helped extinguish much of the fire. As of Wednesday, the fire was 64% contained, fire officials reported. Developing story - more to come </s> In a statement released Tuesday by her publicists, Parton said she’s been watching the “terrible fires” in the Great Smoky Mountains. At least 14,000 people have been forced to evacuate the tourist area of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and a dozen people have been injured in the wildfires.

“I am praying for all the families affected by the fire and the firefighters who are working so hard to keep everyone safe,” she said.

In a video released just hours before the wildfires engulfed Gatlinburg and areas around Pigeon Forge, Parton urged people to prevent forest fires.

Parton appears with Smokey Bear in the 30-second video released Sunday by Great Smoky Mountains National Park. She tells people to avoid burning leaves and parking vehicles on dry grass, and warns that even a campfire can spark a wildfire.

Dollywood officials said the theme park itself wasn’t damaged but more than a dozen cabins operated by the park were damaged or destroyed by the wildfires.

Parton is scheduled to appear on NBC’s “The Voice” on Tuesday night, her representatives had previously announced. She will perform her 1973 hit song “Jolene” with Miley Cyrus and Pentatonix.

Parton is a native of Sevier County, Tennessee, which includes both Gatlinburg and nearby Pigeon Forge, according to historical documents on the park’s website. In the mid-1980s, Parton partnered with the Herschend family who ran the park, then known as Silver Dollar City. It opened under the new name of Dollywood in 1986. </s> In a statement released Tuesday by her publicists, Parton said she’s been watching the “terrible fires” in the Great Smoky Mountains. At least 14,000 people have been forced to evacuate the tourist area of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and a dozen people have been injured in the wildfires.

“I am praying for all the families affected by the fire and the firefighters who are working so hard to keep everyone safe,” she said.

In a video released just hours before the wildfires engulfed Gatlinburg and areas around Pigeon Forge, Parton urged people to prevent forest fires.

Parton appears with Smokey Bear in the 30-second video released Sunday by Great Smoky Mountains National Park. She tells people to avoid burning leaves and parking vehicles on dry grass, and warns that even a campfire can spark a wildfire.

Dollywood officials said the theme park itself wasn’t damaged, but said that more than a dozen cabins operated by the park were damaged or destroyed by the wildfires.

Parton is scheduled to appear on NBC’s “The Voice” on Tuesday night, her representatives had previously announced. The plan has been for Parton to perform her 1973 hit song “Jolene” with Miley Cyrus and Pentatonix. Late Monday afternoon, she said her on official Twitter account that she was looking forward to appearing on the show.

Parton is a native of Sevier County, Tennessee, which includes both Gatlinburg and nearby Pigeon Forge, according to historical documents on the park’s website. In the mid-1980s, Parton partnered with the Herschend family who ran the park, then known as Silver Dollar City. It opened under the new name of Dollywood in 1986. </s> Mandatory evacuations were ordered for Gatlinburg and parts of Pigeon Forge, Tenn., where strong winds and drought stoked fires in the area, the National Weather Service said in an advisory.

"These are the worst possible conditions imaginable," Gatlinburg Fire Department Chief Greg Miller told reporters, according to the Tennessean newspaper.

The nearby Chimney 2 Fire quickly grew from about 10 acres on Sunday evening to about 500 acres on Monday as wind gusts reached 75 mph in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Conditions also sparked another fire south of Gatlinburg on Monday, Wildfiretoday.com reported.

No fatalities were reported. One man suffered burns and several injuries were reported after a fire truck crash, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said in a statement.

A total of 1,200 people were in two area shelters, officials said.

Heavy smoke and a orange sky hung over downtown Gatlinburg where nearby roads were packed with motorists trying to get out of town. Downed power lines and fallen trees sparked several smaller fires, media reported.

Some 30 buildings including a 16-storey hotel and an apartment were on fire in Gatlinburg on Monday night, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said. About 100 homes were impacted, Sevier County officials said.

About 7 miles north, parts of Pigeon Forge were also evacuated, including Dollywood, a resort and theme park owned by entertainer Dolly Parton. No Dollywood structures were threatened, a spokesman for the resort told a local NBC affiliate.

"Fire was coming over the mountains, and the smoke was so bad we could barely breathe as we were trying to pack up," Mike Gill told NBC News as he was leaving the area with his wife. "The traffic is horrible. It's a mass exodus." </s> GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) — Wildfires fueled by high winds killed three people near the Great Smoky Mountains and authorities went door to door Tuesday to check on the well-being of residents and visitors of the popular tourist area.

The fires burned to the doorstep of the Dollywood theme park, destroyed a resort and chased thousands of people from their homes.

National Guard troops arrived to help overwhelmed firefighters, and Mother Nature provided a little relief as the winds calmed and rain fell in some areas. Forecasters said it would not be enough to end the relentless drought that has spread across the South and set the stage over the past few weeks for wildfires in Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina.

Linda Monholland, who was working at Park View Inn in Gatlinburg, said it was about 9 p.m. Monday when she left her workplace with about five other people. Surrounded by flames the whole way, they walked for about 20 minutes to a trolley to evacuate.

“There was fire everywhere. It was like we were in hell. Hell opened up,” said Monholland, who was staying Tuesday at Rocky Top Sports World, an 80-acre sports facility that has been turned into a shelter. “Walking through hell, that’s what it was. I can’t believe it. I never want to see something like that again in my life, ever.”

Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters confirmed the deaths but said he didn’t have any additional details. Officials were still conducting search-and-rescue missions.

“We have not been able to get in all of the areas,” Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller said. “We pray that we don’t experience any more fatalities but there are still areas that we are trying to get to because of down trees and down power lines.”

Photos of the popular tourist area showed scorched cars and buildings, and soot-covered debris littered across roads in the Gatlinburg area. A smoky haze hung in the air, obscuring picturesque views of mountains in the fall, awash in trees with leaves of red, yellow and gold.

Firefighters were still battling hotspots and a few structural fires, and officials were keeping an eye on strong winds forecast for Tuesday night.

“We’ve got some pretty ominous forecasting for this evening. Sixty mile an hour winds are forecast several hours ahead of more rain. So we may spend a lot of this evening fighting more fires,” Miller said.

The latest wildfires grew Monday night when wind high winds blew trees onto power lines, sparking new fires and spreading embers over long distances, officials said.

“There were times last night that we had wind gusts in excess of 87 miles an hour. That is hurricane force. That is nowhere to be when trying to fight a fire,” Miller said.

Hundreds of homes and other buildings, including a 16-story hotel, were damaged or destroyed.

Emergency officials ordered evacuations in downtown Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge and in other areas of Sevier County near the Great Smoky Mountains. About 14,000 residents and visitors were evacuated from Gatlinburg alone.

About 1,200 people took shelter at the Gatlinburg Community Center and the Rocky Top Sports Park.

At least a dozen people were taken to hospitals, including some with burns.

Evacuees dodged fire on foot and in cars to reach shelters.

At about 9:30 p.m. Monday, Tammy Dillon had just gotten home from work when police banged on her door and told her to get out.

Dillon said she drove through a fiery scene to get to Rocky Top Sports World, where she spent the night in a car and used the shelter for the bathroom.

“We drove through flames, over hot embers in the road. It was awful,” Dillon said.

In downtown Gatlinburg, workers at Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies had to flee because of the wildfires and left behind more than 10,000 fish and other animals. Police escorted a team of marine biologists and life support experts back into the aquarium Tuesday morning, and the animals were doing fine, Ripley’s said in a news release.

Based on preliminary surveys, the Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa in Gatlinburg “is likely entirely gone,” the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said in a news release. The agency had previously said it had reports that the Ober Gatlinburg amusement park and ski area had been destroyed as well, but later said resort officials had checked in and said the property was fine.

Officials with Dollywood, the amusement park named after country music icon Dolly Parton, said the theme park wasn’t damaged, but more than a dozen cabins operated by the park had been.

Dollywood suspended park operations at least through Wednesday. Its DreamMore resort will be open on a limited basis as a shelter and for registered guests.

Just hours before the fires spread, the singer appeared in a 30-second video released by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, telling people to avoid burning leaves and parking vehicles on dry grass, and warning that even a campfire can spark a wildfire.

Parton is a native of Sevier County, which includes both Gatlinburg and nearby Pigeon Forge.

In the mid-1980s, Parton partnered with the Herschend family who ran the park, then known as Silver Dollar City. It opened under the new name of Dollywood in 1986.

Parton said she’s heartbroken over the fires.

“I am praying for all the families affected by the fire and the firefighters who are working so hard to keep everyone safe,” Parton said in a statement. “It is a blessing that my Dollywood theme park, the DreamMore Resort and so many businesses in Pigeon Forge have been spared.”
At least three deaths and several injuries caused by wildfires in Tennessee are reported near Dolly Parton's Dollywood resort.