Page 4 - ARUBA TODAY

A4 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 1 december 2016
3 more bodies found in Tennessee wildfire ruins, toll at 7

missing friends and family. visited national park.
Officials have not said how The Rocky Top Sports World
many people they believe complex on the outskirts
are missing. of town was serving as
Three brothers being treat- a shelter. Wolf McLellan
ed at a Nashville hospital stumbled into the facility
said they had not heard after a day of wandering
from their parents since the streets. He said he was
they were separated while forced to evacuate a mo-
fleeing the fiery scene dur- tel where he was staying.
ing their vacation. He grabbed his guitar, two
Gatlinburg Police Chief computers and his social
Randall Brackins said they security card and tried to
have searched about 30 flee with his dog, Kylie.
percent or less of the city “She was too scared to
so far. move with the smoke and
More than 14,000 people sirens and she just stood
were evacuated from there. I didn’t want to drag
Gatlinburg on Monday her. I couldn’t drag her,”
night, and many of them he said. “I figured the hu-
A forestry crew from South Dakota walking along the spur between cutting up trees fallen after are still nervously awaiting mane thing to do would be
wildfires burned multiple business and homes in Gatlinburg, Tenn. Three more bodies were found word of when they can get to just cut her loose.”
in the ruins of the wildfires, raising the death toll to seven, a Tennessee mayor said Wednesday. back in the city to see if Officials in nearby Pigeon
(Michael Patrick/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP) they still have homes. Forge lifted the evacuation

Continued From Front are still working to identify how they were killed. State Buddy McLean said he order there, but the order
the dead and did not re- law enforcement set up a watched Monday from a still stood in Gatlinburg.
The mayor said authorities lease any details about hotline for people to report deserted Gatlinburg street Gatlinburg Mayor Mike
as flames surrounded his Werner said officials were
26-acre hotel nestled in the discussing re-opening the
mountains. city on Friday so business
His grandfather bought the owners can assess dam-
land in 1945, and he devel- age and hopefully begin
oped a subdivision on part paying their employees
of it and built The Lodge at again.
Buckberry Creek about 14 “You really can’t let every-
years ago on the moun- body in yet because there
tainside to take advan- are still areas that haven’t
tage of the views of Mount been searched, there are
LeConte. still areas where electric
McLean said four rooms lines are down, power
were booked and another poles are down,” he said.
15 people were having a The mayor lost the home
private dinner when the that he built himself, two
hotel’s chef and event co- dogs plus all seven of the
ordinator told everyone to condominium buildings he
evacuate. owned. In a city built on
“I have 35 employees,” tourism, Werner has said
McLean said. “All of them the biggest thing people
lost their jobs overnight.” can do to help is come
Storms moved through the back. But for him, there is
area Wednesday as part nothing to come back to.
of a system ravaging the “I really can’t dwell on it
Southeast, spawning sus- that much. I think of others
pected tornadoes in parts that have lost theirs, and it
of Alabama and Tennes- keeps my mind off of our
see, killing five people and problems,” he said while
injuring more than a dozen. fighting back tears. “It’s re-
Officials in the Gatlinburg ally hard, it’s really tough.”
welcomed the rain but Werner is staying at a
were worried about mud- friend’s house while man-
slides, rock slides and high aging the crisis with other
winds knocking trees onto state and local leaders. He
power lines, perhaps creat- has raised at least $150,000
ing new fires similar to the from local businesses to
deadly ones that sparked help with the relief efforts,
Monday night. money he plans to spend
Most of those fires had been helping people who don’t
contained by Wednesday have insurance.
afternoon, but uncertainty Almost nothing remained
remained for a region that of the Castle, perhaps the
serves as the gateway into largest and most iconic
the Great Smoky Moun- home overlooking Gatlin-
tains, the country’s most burg. q