Multiple resorts destroyed in devastating Gatlinburg fire

A fire that has ravaged the Gatlinburg-area of Tennessee destroyed three resorts in the popular city frequented by tourists. The resorts are the Ober Gatlinburg amusement park and ski area, the Black Bear Falls log-cabin rental resort, and the Westgate Mountain Resort & Spa, according to state emergency management spokesman Dean Flener. The fires have forced evacuations in Downtown Gatlinburg, which has a total of roughly 4,000 residents. Pigeon Forge and nearby communities have also been evacuated. At least four people have been injured in the wildfires, which have been spurred by strong winds and the Southeast’s worst drought in nearly a decade.