A wildfire burning in a resort area outside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee has damaged or destroyed 65 structures, most of them rental cabins, reports The Los Angeles Times.
The normal forest fire season in eastern Tennessee is spring and summer, when dry conditions are most prevalent, a Sevier County (TN) spokesman said.
Fire officials believe the fire started in a cabin Sunday afternoon, but the cause has not been determined, he said.
The fire began outside the town of Pigeon Forge (TN) population 6,000, in a forested area northwest of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The rental cabins that burned are in forested resort areas, where an undetermined number of private homes also were damaged by the fire.
About 150 people were voluntarily evacuated late Sunday, with no injuries reported. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency declared a state of emergency Monday morning to make resources available to fight the 145-acre fire.
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