GATLINBURG, Tenn. — A Tennessee mayor says that the death toll from wildfires earlier this week has increased to 10.
Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters said Thursday afternoon that authorities had discovered three additional deaths. He did not release any details about the fatalities and said authorities are still working to positively identify the remains.
Hurricane-force winds fueled wildfires on Monday night, forcing more than 14,000 residents and tourists to evacuate the city of Gatlinburg.
Earlier, officials has reported they were making significant progress searching for any survivors in homes and businesses that were scorched by wildfires earlier this week. At the time, Waters said about 75 had been injured, but didn’t release information on the extent of injuries. It’s not clear if that number has since increased.
Authorities are following up on dozens of leads about missing people, but they do not know exactly how many people may be missing. Officials say most of the burned areas will have been searched by the end of Thursday.
More than 14,000 residents and tourists were forced to evacuated Monday night when high winds spread wildfires throughout the area near the Great Smoky Mountains.
Many people are still anxiously waiting to get back into Gatlinburg to see if their home has been damaged.
