TENNESSEE

What's new: 2 in custody, 2,460 structures damaged, destroyed in Gatlinburg fires

Travis Dorman
travis.dorman@knoxnews.com

East Tennessee's drought and wildfire emergency culminated on Nov. 28 when hurricane-force winds sent unpredictable fires racing through the Gatlinburg area and beyond.

U.S. Forest Service firefighter Chad Heck, from the Colville National Forest in Washington state, hikes up the Rainbow Falls Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Gatlinburg, Tenn., Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016. Hundreds of firefighters continue to conduct operations within the park as the Chimney Top 2 Fire is reported to be 64% contained as of Wednesday morning.

As firefighters work to extinguish the remainder of the blazes, authorities work to evaluate the damage done. Here is the latest information.

  • Authorities said Wednesday they have arrested two teenagers on charges of aggravated arson. Their names, ages and genders have not been released. Jimmy Dunn, 4th Judicial District attorney general, said the teens are from Tennessee but not Sevier County. They are being held in Sevier County and await a detention hearing in Juvenile Court "within the next 72 hours," when bond could be set. They could be transferred to Criminal Court if prosecutors move to try them as adults.
  • The death toll remains at 14. Thirteen of the 14 have been publicly identified.
  • 176 people have been treated for fire-related injuries or illnesses.
  • 2,460 structures were damaged or destroyed.
  • The Chimney Tops fire still spans 17,006 acres. As of Wednesday night, it was 82 percent contained. The Cobbly Nob fire spans 816 acres and was 89 percent contained. 
  • The firefighting team is in a "downward glide," Great Smoky Mountains National Park spokesman Warren Bielenberg said. Seven crews and several engines demobilized on Tuesday and Wednesday, and two more crews and 20 engines are scheduled to demobilize on Thursday.
  • By Friday, the incident management team will have transitioned from a Type 1 team, which handles the most complex emergencies, to a Type 3 team, which handles lesser events. The National Park Service has a five-level system of response.
  • The cost to date of fighting the Chimney Tops fire is $5,694,330. The cost of fighting the Cobbly Nob fire is $149,263. 
  • Gatlinburg residents were allowed to return to full-time occupancy on Wednesday. A curfew remains in place from 10 p.m.-6 a.m. Thursday. The city is scheduled to reopen to the general public at 7 a.m. Friday.

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