Two years ago, wildfires tore through the Great Smoky Mountains and the nearby towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge in Tennessee. The wildfires resulted in at least fourteen casualties and 135 injuries, burned more than 10,000 acres in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and 6,000 acres in other areas, forced the evacuation of at least 14,000 residents and tourists, and damaged or destroyed more than 2,000 buildings, making it one of the most catastrophic natural disasters in Tennessee history and the deadliest wildfires in the United States since 1947.
Explore the Great Smoky Mountains Wildfires Oral Histories digital collection, which features interviews with residents of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, Tennessee that document the impact of the wildfires in the Great Smoky Mountains that began in late November 2016.