Death toll rises as wildfires ravage Tennessee

A Tennessee mayor says three more bodies have been recoveredafter the wildfires in the Great Smoky Mountains, bringing the deathtoll to seven.

Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters said Wednesday that officialsbelieve more than 400 buildings have been damaged in the county. Healso noted that three people who were trapped after the wildfiresMonday night have been rescued. He did not go into details about therescues, and said authorities have not positively identified thedead.

He said search-and-rescue missions are ongoing.

Authorities saidthe wildfire that spread embers and flames intoGatlinburg, igniting new blazes and forcing thousands to evacuate,is now 10 per cent contained.

A Wednesday report from the federal team managing the blaze saidthe Chimney 2 fire in Great Smoky Mountains National Park is morethan 6,000 hectares.

Threat isn't over

Though rain fell on Wednesday, officials said the wildfirethreat isn't over.

Bonnie Strawser, who is with the team of fire officials working tosuppress the blaze, said the fire "could still rear its head."

Strawser said rainfall reports Wednesday night or early Thursdayshould provide a better picture of how much rain has fallen on thefire.

Meanwhile, the Gatlinburg Mayor Mike Werner said officials are discussing reopeningthe city later this week after wildfires forced the evacuation ofmore than 14,000 residents and tourists.

• Raging wildfires have burned for weeks in Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina

The resortmountain city may reopen Friday so business owners can assess thedamage and hopefully begin paying employees again.

He saidthe evacuation orders must remain in place until thenbecause there are still areas that haven't been searched and placeswhere power lines are down.

'We're resilient'

Werner, who lost his home in the fire,remained steadfast that his city will recover.

"It's a devastating time for us and forGatlinburg,"he said at a news conference Tuesday. "We're strong. We're resilient. And we're going to make it. We'regoing to pull it together and continue to makeGatlinburgthepremier resort that it is."

Officials surveying early damage said the Westgate Smoky MountainResort & Spa, with more than 100 buildings, is likely entirely gone.

"I'm just astonished this is my town," Marci Claude, aspokeswoman for the city and for the Gatlinburg Convention and VisitorsBureau, said as she saw the destruction for the first time on amedia tour Tuesday.

Fanned by hurricane-force winds Monday night, the flames reachedthe doorstep of Dollywood, the theme park in nearby Pigeon Forgenamed after country music legend and local hero Dolly Parton. Thepark was spared any significant damage.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, who flew in to see the damage causedby a fire he called the largest in the state in the past 100 years,said he was struck by how some buildings in Gatlinburg were burned to the groundwhile others including most of the downtown entertainment cluster were untouched.

It just could have been so much worse.- Tennessee Gov. BillHaslam

"It just could have been so much worse," he said.

The governor said work would begin quickly to repair the damageto what he called "a special place in the state of Tennessee."

Though wildfires have been burning for several weeks across thedrought-stricken South, Monday marked the first time any homes andbusinesses were destroyed on a large scale.

The Gatlinburg area wildfires spread when winds blew trees ontopower lines, sparking new fires and shooting embers over longdistances.The fires spread quickly Monday night, when winds topping 140 km/h whipped up the flames, catching residents and tourists in the areaby surprise.

Police banged on doors and told people to get outimmediately. Some trekked 20 minutes to catch lifesaving rides ontrolleys usually reserved for tours and wedding parties.

"There was fire everywhere. It was like we were in hell," saidLinda Monholland, who was working at Park View Inn in Gatlinburgwhen she and five other people fled on foot. "Walking through hell,that's what it was. I can't believe it. I never want to seesomething like that again in my life, ever."