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The latest: News conference on Sevier County fires set for 11 a.m.

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.

National Park Service firefighter Dave Frey, from the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, carries equipment 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.

  • A news conference is scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Gatlinburg City Hall concerning the Sevier County fire of Nov. 28. Those attending will include Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters, Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Cassius Cash, Park Deputy Supt. Clay Jordan, Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency Director Patrick Sheehan, Gatlinburg City Manager Cindy Cameron Ogle and Gatlinburg Mayor Mike Werner.
  • The team battling the Sevier County fires are tentatively scheduled to return home on Thursday. The South Atlantic Incident Management Team, composed of firefighters, emergency responders and officials from organizations across the country, will pass along efforts to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park team, who will continue to monitor the remains of the fires.
  • Gatlinburg and the surrounding communities hit hardest by the fires have received almost 3.5 inches of rain in the 12 days of December so far, according to the National Weather Service in Morristown. In contrast, the area received just 4.6 inches of rain in September, October and November combined.
  • By Monday night, the cost of fighting the Chimney Tops fire had exceeded $7 million — $7,128,166. The cost of the 764-acre Cobbly Nob fire was $339,070.
  • The Chimney Tops fire remains at 94 percent contained, and the Cobbly Nob fire is still 96 percent contained.
  • The Red Cross Shelter at Rocky Top Sports World will move on Tuesday to the meeting room at the Gatlinburg Community Center. The population of the shelter fell to just 17 people over the weekend, according to a news release from the city of Gatlinburg. The Community Center, 156 Proffitt Road, will operate on its normal schedule.
  • The death toll remains at 14. Thirteen of 14 have been publicly identified so far.
  • Two teenage boys, ages 15 and 17, have been arrested on charges of aggravated arson in the Sevier County fires. Sources familiar with the teenagers and the investigation but not authorized to speak publicly about the case say the two boys are friends and live in Anderson County. The boys were hiking on the Chimney Tops trail in the park on Nov. 23 and tossing lit matches onto the ground around the trail, the sources said. A hiker unwittingly captured an image of the boys walking away from the trail with smoke in the background, and the teenagers' clothing helped authorities identify them, according to sources.

More on the Sevier County wildfires: