WEARS VALLEY, Tenn. — A family-owned business that was nestled atop Hatcher Mountain is one of several buildings lost to the Wears Valley wildfire.
Jo Ann Vaughn said she bought the Von Bryan Estate in 1988, and it's been their family's main source of income for more than 30 years.
"Bed and breakfast back in the late 80s had just become a popular thing, and I was fascinated with it," Jo Ann said. "We found this big private home on top of a mountain gravel road, and thought, 'This is beautiful. People will want to come here.'"
The luxurious cabin retreat had beautiful views of the Smokies and could hold dozens of guests and had amenities to spare, including an outdoor pool deck, cabin theater, wet bar and more.
"We bought it in 1988, ran it as a bed and breakfast almost for 20 years, and closed that and have had it as a nightly rental cabin for almost 14 years," said Patrick Vaughn, Jo Ann's son.
On Wednesday, Patrick said he watched their business of more than 30 years go up in flames after a wildfire spread on Hatcher Mountain in Wears Valley.
"I saw fires all around the place. Through openings in the smoke, we could for a few seconds at a time see our old place go up in flames," he said.
The family was able to get up to the property Thursday evening, where they assessed the damages. Patrick called the estate a "total loss." The structure was in ashes, furnishings non-existent, and tangible memories turned into mental ones. The only thing left was the stone chimney and parts of the foundation.
"You can always buy a new couch or a new bed or a new mattress or a new comforter. But it's those personal things that can't be replaced. That hurts, to know they're gone forever," Jo Ann said.
Patrick said even though they watched as their long-time family business burned to the ground, they are grateful to have their lives.
"I kind of hope to rebuild. I know it will take years for that to happen, and it's going to depend on how well the insurance company will help us," he said. "It seems like a bad dream that you hope you could wake up from, but we're still kind of in the middle of it."
Sevier County said crews are doing damage assessments as firefighters work to contain the rest of the wildfires in Wears Valley and Seymour. A map will be provided to view the status of structures at this link once the assessments are finished.
TEMA launched a Sevier County Wildfire recovery webpage to provide information on state and local resources available to help wildfire survivors on Thursday.
The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance has a team in place at the Sevier County Fairgrounds, 753 Old Knoxville Highway, in Sevierville, beginning Friday who will be able to assist those affected by the Wears Valley wildfire to file insurance claims.
TEMA said insurance claim help and information from TDCI is also available by calling 615-741-2218, or 1-800-342-4029, and on TDCI’s website.