Gatlinburg Fires Turns Into Something More

That Gatlinburg fire that destroyed several businesses has turned into something more. Officials this morning revealed that while they were battling the blaze on Sunday, one person was found dead inside the structure. The identity of that person has not been confirmed at this time. The fire broke out around 6:30 Sunday morning and crews battled that blaze throughout Sunday afternoon…continuing to battle hot spots as late as this morning…more than 24 hours after the fire began . Puckers Sports Bar, China Bazaar, Cafe’ 420 and Gatlinburg Gifts were all affected by the fire. Puckers Sports bar is one of the structures that will have to be demolished due to the severe damage.

the Parkway continues to be closed from stoplight #6 to Reagan Drive at this time. Motorists are being told to use River Road or Cherokee Orchard Drive as alternate routes to get around the closure. Visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are being asked to use the Gatlinburg By-Pass instead of traveling into Gatlinburg.

Anyone with information about that fire is urged to contact the Tennessee Arson Hotline at 1-800-762-3017 or the GFD at 865-436-5112.