Photos of the Wildfires Near Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Alan Taylor
November 30, 2016
25 Photos
In Focus

On Monday, a fire erupted in a section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, quickly spreading through the drought-affected area around Gatlinburg, Tennessee, forcing a quick evacuation of thousands of residents and tourists. More than 250 houses and businesses have been reported damaged or destroyed, and so far four deaths have been blamed on the fires. Search and rescue teams are covering the foothills around Gatlinburg now, as investigators work toward discovering the origin of what they describe as a “human caused” wildfire.

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A wildfire burns on a hillside after a mandatory evacuation was ordered in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, in a picture released November 30, 2016. #

Tennessee Highway Patrol / Reuters

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Troopers from the Tennessee Highway Patrol help residents leave an area under threat of wildfire after a mandatory evacuation was ordered in Gatlinburg, Tennessee on November 30, 2016. #

Tennessee Highway Patrol / Reuters

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Firefighters stand by a destroyed home after a wildfire forced the mandatory evacuation of Gatlinburg, Tennessee on November 30, 2016. #

Tennessee Highway Patrol / Reuters

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Motorists stop to view wildfires in the Great Smoky Mountains near Gatlinburg on November 28, 2016. #

National Park Services Staff / Reuters

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Smoke surrounds a home as seen from aboard a National Guard helicopter near Gatlinburg on November 29, 2016. #

Erik Schelzig / AP

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Smoke plumes from wildfires in the Great Smoky Mountains near Gatlinburg on November 28, 2016. #

National Park Services Staff / Reuters

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Burned structures are seen from aboard a National Guard helicopter near Gatlinburg on November 29, 2016. #

Erik Schelzig / AP

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People survey a destroyed building as it sits among burned trees on November 29, 2016, near Gatlinburg. #

Wade Payne / AP

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Burned structures are seen from a National Guard helicopter near Gatlinburg on November 29, 2016. #

Erik Schelzig / AP

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Burned structures near Gatlinburg, Tennessee, on November 29, 2016. #

Erik Schelzig / AP

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Foundations and supports are all that is left of burned structures near Gatlinburg, after a fire swept through the day before, on November 29, 2016. #

Erik Schelzig / AP

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A fire still burns in the chimney of a destroyed home near Gatlinburg on November 29, 2016. #

Wade Payne / AP

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Destroyed homes sit among burned trees on November 29, 2016, near Gatlinburg, Tennessee. #

Wade Payne / AP

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A scorched vehicle sits next to a burned-out building in Gatlinburg on November 29, 2016. #

Erik Schelzig / AP

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A utility pole is left damaged as fires smolder nearby after a wildfire in Gatlinburg on November 29, 2016. #

Brian Blanco / Getty

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The remains of a Jeep rental business smolder after a wildfire on November 29, 2016, in Gatlinburg. #

Brian Blanco / Getty

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Trevor Cates walks through the smoldering remains of the fellowship hall of his church, the Banner Missionary Baptist Church as he inspects damage after a wildfire on November 29, 2016, in Gatlinburg. #

Brian Blanco / Getty

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The remains of a business, after a wildfire passed through on November 29, 2016, in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. #

Brian Blanco / Getty

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From left: residents Kirk Wallace, Caleb Graves and Tyler Alden gather to clear debris and put out small fires near surrounding homes as the remains of their neighbors' homes smolder after a wildfire on November 29, 2016, in Gatlinburg. #

Brian Blanco / Getty

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Volunteers assist evacuees in gathering needed clothing items at a shelter on November 29, 2016 in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. #

Brian Blanco / Getty

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Liz Standfuss and her grandson Griffin, 4, sit on cots in a shelter as they FaceTime with Griffin's mother, father and sister after evacuating the night prior from a fire while on vacation at the Westgate Resort in nearby Gatlinburg on November 29, 2016, in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. #

Brian Blanco / Getty

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A burned out building smolders in Gatlinburg on November 29, 2016. #

Erik Schelzig / AP

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The remains of a home and cars, after a wildfire on November 29, 2016, in Gatlinburg. #

Brian Blanco / Getty

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Smoke from wildfires blankets the mountains near Gatlinburg on November 29, 2016. #

Wade Payne / AP

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Resident Mark Rowlett finds a high vantage point to survey the damage to structures and woodlands as smoke fills the air and surrounds businesses and resorts in the wake of a wildfire in downtown Gatlinburg, Tennessee, on November 30, 2016. #

Brian Blanco / Getty

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