A wildfire burning near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Sevier County, Tennessee, has grown to more than 3,700 acres and impacted more than 100 structures, County Mayor Larry Waters said in a news conference Thursday.
About 11,000 homes have been evacuated since the Hatcher Mountain Road/Indigo Lane Fire began Wednesday, the mayor said. It was 5% contained as of Thursday morning.
Two firefighters suffered "minor injuries," Waters said, in addition to a civilian who was injured when the fire overcame him while he was working on a bulldozer. Waters did not have an update on the civilian's condition.
Five fire rescue vehicles, including four county vehicles and one state vehicle, were damaged as a result of the fire, Waters said.
There are no reports of fatalities or missing people as a result of the blaze, Waters said, calling the news "answered prayers."
Mandatory evacuation orders in the county, which includes Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, will remain in place, Waters said. Officials will work "as fast as we can so that our folks can go home," he added.
The fire prompted the Sevier County School System to cancel classes Thursday "out of an abundance of caution for our students, parents, and staff members," it said in a message on its .
In the meantime, at least were opened to accommodate those potentially displaced by the fires, according to county officials.
"The American Red Cross is asking people who are planning to come to an evacuating center to bring bedding (such as pillows) and prescribed medications with them to help make their stay more comfortable," the agency said in a .
Fire personnel "from all over the state" have "poured in" to assist, Waters said, thanking fire and forestry crews who have been working to extinguish the blaze.
"This fire could have been much more devastating had we not had this team in place," he said.
The area was under a High Wind Warning overnight with the National Weather Service winds of 40 to 50 mph with gusts up to 90 mph.
The cause of the fire has yet to be determine, Waters said.
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