PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. — Crews responded to a 5-acre fire burning in Pigeon Forge near Dollywood.
Dollywood suspended entry into the park as of 3:50 p.m., and later reopened to guests as crews made visible progress battling the fire.
"We temporarily paused entry for guests to allow fire crews additional room to operate and assess the situation. We have now reopened entry to guests," Wes Ramey, Dollywood's Public Relations Director, said.
According to the Tennessee Division of Forestry's wildfire map, the fire is located in the East Ridge Road area west of Dollywood and Veterans Boulevard. Nearly 20 personnel were responding, according to forestry officials.
Police blocked off the Forge Hideaway Loop to keep people off the road. Sevier County Electric shut off power to that particular area to prevent other fires from sparking up as crews responded.
Smoke could be seen from WBIR's Parkway camera near Tanger Outlets on Thursday. Burnt leaves and embers were floating in the air near the fire. The Pigeon Forge Police Department said crews were working as fast as possible to contain the fire. They said by 6 p.m., it was 100% contained.
As of 4:20 p.m., smoke was less visible on the camera but still lingering.
A state-issued burn ban is in effect for Sevier County, including Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, due to the fire danger from the severely dry conditions East Tennessee is experiencing.
Pigeon Forge Fire Chief Tony Watson said people need to take these burn bans seriously.
"Unfortunately, we've got a report that maybe someone was out there burning leaves and we're chasing that down right now because we're under a ban on burns right there," Watson said. "So we need y'all to get the word out there to folks to say, 'Listen. It's dry.' We're nearly back to where we were in 2016. We need people out there to be really careful."
Pigeon Forge fire Nov. 16
A burn ban forbids any open-air fire, including:
- Leaves and brush
- Fence rows and ditch banks
- Construction debris boards, plywood, decking, cardboard, etc.
- Fields and grassland
- Gardens
- Wooded areas
- Campfires and cooking fires
- Charcoal or wood-fired grills (does not include natural or propane gas-fired grills)
- Burn barrels
- Air curtain destructors
- Fireworks
The burn ban will be enforced by local law enforcement officers. According to officials, Violation of the ban is considered reckless burning and is punishable as a Class A misdemeanor.
Violators of the ban could face a Class A misdemeanor charge, which carries a penalty of up to $2,500 in fines and up to one year in jail.
“With the current dry conditions and low humidity values, the risk of wildfires is very high,” Sevier County Fire & Rescue Chief David Puckett said. “A single spark could ignite a wildfire that could threaten lives and property.”
Emergency personnel are asking residents and visitors in the Sevier County area to use extreme caution when working outdoors. This includes operating equipment outdoors, ensuring safety chains on trailers are properly attached, and properly discarding smoking materials in ashtrays or other containers.
This story is developing and will be updated when more information is available.