‘Dollywood’ theme park at risk as wildfires rage in southern US
WASHINGTON: Wildfi res raging across the US southeast bore down on Tuesday on Dollywood, the glitzy theme park founded by country music legend Dolly Parton, who said she was “heartbroken” over damage to nearby homes and forestland.
Officials said dozens of fi res are burning in the state, fanned by high winds and fuelled by parched vegetation after weeks of drought.
Dollywood, located in the town of Pigeon Forge near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is one of several popular resort attractions in east Tennessee threatened by the fi res.
A morning assessment revealed no damage to the park itself, although more than a dozen cabins managed by Dollywood were found to be damaged or destroyed, the resort said in a statement. It added that park operations would be suspended on Wednesday.
“I have been watching the terrible fi res in the Great Smoky Mountains and I am heartbroken. I am praying for all the families affected by the fi re and the fi refi ghters who are working so hard to keep everyone safe,” Parton, 70, said on Tuesday.
“It is a blessing that my Dollywood theme park, ( Dollywood’s) DreamMore Resort and so many businesses in Pigeon Forge have been spared,” she added.
Wind speeds topping 70 miles (110 kms) per hour were reported in some parts of Tennessee, which has been hit by the worst drought in nearly a decade.
Parton’s 295-acre (120hectare) amusement resort is one of the region’s most popular draws with rides and musical events that sometimes include appearances by Parton and her family.
Tennessee’s Department of Agriculture, which is responsible for maintaining the state’s forests, said on Tuesday there are 47 active fi res that so far have consumed nearly 15,000 acres.
Hundreds of fi refi ghters, meanwhile, have descended in the town of Gatlinburg, a popular tourist resort and a gateway to the Smoky Mountains, to coordinate efforts to extinguish the fi res.
The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency estimated that more than 14,000 residents and visitors had been evacuated from Gatlinburg alone.
Three people with severe burns and a fourth with burns to the face had been transferred to hospitals, although there were no reports of fatalities, it said.
More than 100 structures were damaged in the city, while more than 150 were damaged or destroyed in Sevier County, where Gatlinburg is located, according to officials cited by CNN.
Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller reported that 14 structure fi res were still burning in the city although the worst was over, the broadcaster reported.
“The state is providing coordinated resources, including Nat’l Guard, to help Gatlinburg, all those affected by devastating fi res,” Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam wrote in a tweet on Tuesday. — AFP