</s>Burned buildings and cars aftermath of wildfire is seen in this image released in social media by Tennessee Highway Patrol in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, U.S. on November 29, 2016. Picture taken on November 29, 2016. Courtesy Tennessee Highway Patrol/Handout via REUTERS

(Reuters) - The death toll from a devastating blaze in and around the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee rose to 10 on Thursday, marking the highest loss of civilian life from a single U.S. wildfire in 13 years.

Investigators, meanwhile, have determined the so-called Chimney Tops 2 fire, which laid waste to whole neighborhoods earlier this week in the resort town of Gatlinburg, was caused by unspecified human activity, officials said.

Total property losses from the fire have been put at more than 700 structures, with most of the destruction in Gatlinburg, known as the "gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains" in eastern Tennessee, about 40 miles (64 km) southeast of Knoxville.

In a televised briefing for reporters on Thursday, Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters said the number of people confirmed killed in the fire was now 10, up from seven deaths reported on Wednesday.

That made Chimney Tops 2 the nation's single deadliest wildfire since 2013, when 19 firefighters perished near Prescott, Arizona.

It also ranks as the largest civilian death toll from a U.S. wildfire since 15 people, including a firefighter, were killed in Southern California's Cedar Fire in 2003, according to Jessica Gardetto, a spokeswoman for the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho.

None of the Tennessee victims has been publicly identified, but all are presumed to be civilians, officials from the fire command center told Reuters. As many as 45 people have been reported injured.

The blaze erupted on Nov. 23, Thanksgiving eve, in a remote area of rugged, hard-to-reach terrain dubbed Chimney Tops in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Gatlinburg, authorities said.

Fed by drought-parched brush and trees and stoked by fierce winds, the flames spread quickly days later, igniting numerous spot fires and exploding on Monday into an inferno that roared out of the park into surrounding homes and businesses.

"The wildfire was determined to be human-caused and is currently under investigation," according to a bulletin released on Thursday by fire commanders and the National Park Service. It gave no further details.

Aerial television news footage showed the burned-out, smoking ruins of dozens of homes surrounded by blackened trees in several neighborhoods.

Steady rains on Tuesday night and into Wednesday helped firefighters slow the blaze, but officials as of Thursday morning were still reporting zero containment around a fire zone that spanned more than 17,000 acres (6,880 hectares).

"The fire is not out; it is just knocked down," fire operations chief Mark Jamieson said in the bulletin.

Some 14,000 people were forced to flee their homes at the height of the fire, and most of Gatlinburg, a city of nearly 4,000 residents, remained under a mandatory evacuation on Thursday.

Evacuation orders were lifted on Wednesday for the nearby town of Pigeon Forge, home of country music star Dolly Parton's theme park, Dollywood.</s>Investigators have determined the so-called Chimney Tops 2 fire, which laid waste to whole neighborhoods in the resort town of Gatlinburg earlier this week, was caused by unspecified human activity, officials said.

Total property losses from the fire have been put at more than 700 structures, with most of the destruction in Gatlinburg, known as the "gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains," in eastern Tennessee, about 40 miles (64 km) southeast of Knoxville.

A total of 11 people were killed in the fire, up from seven deaths reported Wednesday, according to Dean Flener, a spokesman for the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

That made Chimney Tops 2 the nation's single deadliest wildfire since 2013, when 19 firefighters died near Prescott, Arizona.

It also ranks as the largest civilian death toll from a U.S. wildfire since 15 people, including a firefighter, were killed in Southern California's Cedar Fire in 2003, according to Jessica Gardetto, a spokeswoman for the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho.

None of the Tennessee victims has been publicly identified, but all were presumed to be civilians, officials from the fire command center told Reuters. As many as 45 people have been reported injured.

The blaze erupted on Nov. 23, Thanksgiving eve, in a remote area of rugged terrain dubbed Chimney Tops in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Gatlinburg, authorities said.

Fed by drought-parched brush and trees and stoked by fierce winds, the flames spread quickly days later, igniting numerous spot fires and exploding on Monday into an inferno that roared out of the park into surrounding homes and businesses.

"The wildfire was determined to be human-caused and is currently under investigation," according to a bulletin released on Thursday by fire commanders and the National Park Service. It gave no further details.

Aerial television news footage showed the burned-out, smoking ruins of dozens of homes surrounded by blackened trees in several neighborhoods.

Steady rains on Tuesday night and into Wednesday helped firefighters slow the blaze, but by Thursday morning officials were still reporting no containment around a fire zone that spanned more than 17,000 acres (6,880 hectares).

"The fire is not out; it is just knocked down," fire operations chief Mark Jamieson said in the bulletin.

Some 14,000 people were forced to flee their homes at the height of the fire, and most of Gatlinburg, a city of nearly 4,000 residents, remained under mandatory evacuation on Thursday.

Evacuation orders were lifted on Wednesday for the nearby town of Pigeon Forge, home of country music star Dolly Parton's theme park, Dollywood.</s>Investigators have determined the so-called Chimney Tops 2 fire, which laid waste to whole neighborhoods in the resort town of Gatlinburg earlier this week, was caused by unspecified human activity, officials said.

Total property losses from the fire have been put at more than 700 structures, with most of the destruction in Gatlinburg, known as the "gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains," in eastern Tennessee, about 40 miles (64 km) southeast of Knoxville.

A total of 11 people were killed in the fire, up from seven deaths reported Wednesday, according to Dean Flener, a spokesman for the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

That made Chimney Tops 2 the nation's single deadliest wildfire since 2013, when 19 firefighters died near Prescott, Arizona.

It also ranks as the largest civilian death toll from a U.S. wildfire since 15 people, including a firefighter, were killed in Southern California's Cedar Fire in 2003, according to Jessica Gardetto, a spokeswoman for the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho.

None of the Tennessee victims has been publicly identified, but all were presumed to be civilians, officials from the fire command center told Reuters. As many as 45 people have been reported injured.

The blaze erupted on Nov. 23, Thanksgiving eve, in a remote area of rugged terrain dubbed Chimney Tops in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Gatlinburg, authorities said.

Fed by drought-parched brush and trees and stoked by fierce winds, the flames spread quickly days later, igniting numerous spot fires and exploding on Monday into an inferno that roared out of the park into surrounding homes and businesses.

"The wildfire was determined to be human-caused and is currently under investigation," according to a bulletin released on Thursday by fire commanders and the National Park Service. It gave no further details.

Aerial television news footage showed the burned-out, smoking ruins of dozens of homes surrounded by blackened trees in several neighborhoods.

Steady rains on Tuesday night and into Wednesday helped firefighters slow the blaze, but by Thursday morning officials were still reporting no containment around a fire zone that spanned more than 17,000 acres (6,880 hectares).

"The fire is not out; it is just knocked down," fire operations chief Mark Jamieson said in the bulletin.

Some 14,000 people were forced to flee their homes at the height of the fire, and most of Gatlinburg, a city of nearly 4,000 residents, remained under mandatory evacuation on Thursday.

Evacuation orders were lifted on Wednesday for the nearby town of Pigeon Forge, home of country music star Dolly Parton's theme park, Dollywood.</s>Burned buildings and cars aftermath of wildfire is seen in this image released in social media by Tennessee Highway Patrol in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, U.S. on November 29, 2016. Picture taken on November 29, 2016. Courtesy Tennessee Highway Patrol/Handout via REUTERS

(Reuters) - The confirmed death toll from wildfires burning in and around the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee rose to 10 on Thursday, as investigators determined the initial blaze that ignited the larger conflagration was human-caused, officials said.

The tally of documented property losses from the fires, which have reduced whole neighborhoods to ruins in the resort town of Gatlinburg in eastern Tennessee, have been put at more than 700 structures destroyed, authorities said.

In a televised briefing for reporters on Thursday, Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters said the number of people confirmed killed in the fires was now 10, up from seven deaths reported on Wednesday.

That marked the highest number of deaths in a single U.S. wildfire since 19 firefighters perished near Prescott, Arizona, in 2013, and the largest civilian death toll since 15 people were killed in California's so-called Cedar Fire in 2003, according to Jessica Gardetto, a spokeswoman for the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho.

None of the Tennessee victims has been publicly identified. A spokeswoman for the fire command center told Reuters that no firefighters had been reported killed there.

The latest fire disaster began last week when a blaze now dubbed the Chimney Tops 2 fire erupted in a remote area of rugged, hard-to-reach terrain in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Gatlinburg, authorities said.

Fed by drought-parched brush and trees and stoked by fierce winds, the flames spread quickly days later, exploding on Monday into an inferno that roared out of the park into surrounding homes and businesses.

"The wildfire was determined to be human-caused and is currently under investigation," according to a bulletin released on Thursday by fire commanders and the National Park Service. It gave no further details.

Steady rains on Tuesday night and into Wednesday helped firefighters slowed the blaze, but officials as of Thursday morning were still reporting zero containment around a fire zone that spanned more than 17,000 acres (6,880 hectares).</s>The fire destroyed more than 15,500 acres, injured 53 people, torched over 700 houses and damaged two Tennessee cities as well as surrounding areas.

Wildfires in the Great Smoky Mountains area near Gatlinburg, Tennessee, have left seven people dead, officials said Wednesday. Over 14,000 people have been evacuated since the fire broke out Monday night when ashes from flames in Chimney Tops Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park blew into Gatlinburg due to high winds.

Authorities were working to identify the deceased and no further details were released. The fire destroyed more than 15,500 acres, injured 53 people, torched over 700 houses and damaged Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge cities as well as surrounding areas. Gatlinburg Police Chief Randall Brackins said about 30 percent or less of the city area has been searched so far, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

Heavy winds, which authorities said were of “hurricane-force,” intensified the fire Tuesday. This also resulted in fallen trees, which barred access to some areas, Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller said. Although heavy rains in the area helped ease the fire, Miller said that firefighters were now facing rocks and mudslides.

By Wednesday afternoon, firefighters contained most of the blaze. However, authorities expressed uncertainty over the situation. A hotline for people to report missing friends and family was set up by state law enforcement.

While the evacuation order for Pigeon Forge was lifted, the one for Gatlinburg remained.

Gatlinburg Mayor Mike Werner said that authorities were in talks to re-open the city Friday so that business owners can review the damage.

“You really can’t let everybody in yet because there are still areas that haven't been searched, there are still areas where electric lines are down, power poles are down,” Werner reportedly said.

Werner himself lost his home, two dogs and all seven of the condominium buildings he owned, according to AP. He is staying at a friend’s house and has reportedly raised about $150,000 from local businesses to help with the relief efforts.

“I really can’t dwell on it that much. I think of others that have lost theirs, and it keeps my mind off of our problems,” he said. “It’s really hard, it’s really tough.”</s>GATLINBURG, Tenn. | Cars, trucks and business vans lined up Friday on a curvy mountain road, waiting to enter the wildfire-ravaged city of Gatlinburg to get a first look at what remains of their homes and businesses.

Local officials, bowing to pressure from frustrated property owners, said they would allow people back into most parts of the city and affected parts of the county for the first time Friday morning.

Residents have to pass through a checkpoint and must show some proof of ownership or residency, Gatlinburg City Manager Cindy Cameron Ogle said.

Christina Wilpers talks to motorists during a search for Karyssa Dalton's missing grandmother Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016, in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. Pamela Johnson, 59, who resided at the Travelers Motel on U.S. 321, hasn't been heard from since a wildfire burned through Gatlinburg this week. (Paul Efird/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP) Karyssa Dalton, second from left, talks to Red Cross volunteers during a search for her missing grandmother Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016, in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. Pamela Johnson, 59, who resided at the Travelers Motel on U.S. 321, hasn't been heard from since a wildfire burned through Gatlinburg this week. (Paul Efird/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP) Karyssa Dalton, left, is comforted by her friend, Christina Wilpers, during a search for Dalton's missing grandmother Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016, in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. Pamela Johnson, 59, who resided at the Travelers Motel on U.S. 321, hasn't been heard from since a wildfire burned through Gatlinburg this week. (Paul Efird/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP) This Dec. 1, 2016, satellite image using near-infrared (NIR) provided by DigitalGlobe shows damage from the wildfire near Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies in Gatlinburg, Tenn. NIR imagery causes healthy vegetation to appear red and the burn scar from the wildfire to be dark brown. More than 14,000 residents and visitors in Gatlinburg were forced to evacuate, and the typically bustling tourist city has been shuttered ever since. (Digital Globe via AP)

“The city is not implying that private property is safe,” she said. “People may encounter downed powerlines or other hazards.”

The wildfires in the eastern Tennessee mountains on Monday night killed 11 people and damaged hundreds of homes and businesses.

Among those anxiously waiting to return was Tracy Mayberry. He and his wife, 12-year-old son and five dogs have bounced between hotels since they were forced to evacuate their rental home Monday night. They were struggling to find a place to stay Thursday as many lodges began to discontinue the special rates for evacuees.

“It feels like Gatlinburg is more worried about how to rebuild than they are about their people,” he said.

In nearby communities, there were signs of normalcy. In Pigeon Forge, the Comedy House rented an electronic billboard message that said it was open. A hotel flyer urged guests to check out the scenic Cades Cove loop: “Take a drive and remember what you love about the Smokies!”

Dollywood, the amusement park named after Parton, will reopen Friday afternoon after it was spared any damage.

“Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and Sevier County is open for business,” Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters said Thursday. “We want people to know that they can visit these areas … and we encourage them to do that.”

The Associated Press was allowed access into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Thursday. A forest of bare trees standing amid a scorched landscape could be seen along with fire crews sawing up a tree stump.

In Gatlinburg, the center of the devastation, officials there hope to open the city’s main roads to the public by Wednesday.

Authorities searching the charred remains of homes and businesses said they expected to finish Friday.

Despite recent heavy rains, fire officials warned people shouldn’t have a false sense of security because months of drought have left the ground bone-dry. Wildfires can rekindle, they said.

The trouble began Monday when a wildfire, likely caused by a person, spread from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park into the Gatlinburg area as hurricane-force winds toppled trees and power lines, blowing embers in all directions.

“We had trees going down everywhere, power lines, all those power lines were just like lighting a match because of the extreme drought conditions. So we went from nothing to over 20-plus structure fires in a matter of minutes. And that grew and that grew and that grew,” Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller said.

More than 14,000 residents and visitors in Gatlinburg were forced to evacuate, and the typically bustling tourist city has been shuttered ever since. At least 700 buildings in the county were damaged.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Cassius Cash has said the fires were “likely to be human-caused” but he has refused to elaborate, saying only that the investigation continues. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are helping investigate the cause.

Authorities said they were still working to identify the dead and did not release any details about how they were killed.

Mattise reported from Nashville, Tennessee. Associated Press writers Rebecca Yonker in Louisville, Kentucky, and Kristin M. Hall in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, contributed to this report.</s>A Canadian couple is among the victims of a wildfire that ravaged the Smoky Mountains resort city of Gatlinburg, Tenn.

John Tegler and Marilyn Tegler, both in their 70s, are among 13 people who have died as a result of the fires that broke out earlier this week.

The Teglers, who are originally from Woodstock, Ont., were at their vacation home in the Smoky Mountains, close to Gatlinburg, celebrating the American Thanksgiving long weekend, their son-in-law said.

The couple tried to flee the fast-spreading flames of a wildfire on Monday night but weren’t able to reach safety, he said.

“They didn’t make it out of the mountains,” Dave Lapointe told The Canadian Press. “They were found close to the home.”

The couple’s family was contacted about the pair’s death on Thursday night, Lapointe said, noting that his wife — the couple’s daughter — was on her way to Tennessee with her brother. The couple also had another daughter.

“We lost two good people,” said Lapointe. “They were very family oriented, all around nice people.”

In addition to their Smoky Mountains vacation home, the Teglers, who had dual American and Canadian citizenship, had a residence in Georgia as well, Lapointe said.

“They were going to go back to Georgia for a few weeks and return for Christmas up here,” he said. “It’s just a tragic end. They were together and they were in a place they liked to be.”

The victims of the wildfire also included a Memphis couple who was separated from their three sons. The three young men learned their parents had died as they were recovering in hospital.

Other fatalities included a woman who was vacationing in Gatlinburg and died of a heart attack after she was exposed to smoke. Identities for the other victims have not been released.

The trouble began Monday when a wildfire, likely caused by a person, spread from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park into the Gatlinburg area as hurricane-force winds toppled trees and power lines, blowing embers in all directions.

Gatlinburg’s fire chief said more than 20 structures caught fire in a matter of minutes, starting a blaze which grew rapidly.

More than 14,000 residents and visitors in Gatlinburg were forced to evacuate, and the typically bustling tourist city has been shuttered ever since.

Local officials bowing to pressure from frustrated property owners said they would allow people back into most parts of the city Friday morning, with residents having to go through a check point showing proof of ownership or residency.

Officials hope to open the city’s main roads to the public by Wednesday.

Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters said the number of buildings damaged by the wildfire is now approaching 1,000.

“I can’t describe to you the feelings we have over this tragedy,” he said during a news conference with the governor and U.S. senators.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Cassius Cash has said the fires were “likely to be human-caused” but has refused to elaborate, saying only that the investigation continues. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are helping investigate the cause.

- With files from the Associated Press

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the Canadian victims as Jon and Janet Tegler. This story has been updated and corrected.</s>“I’ll just get it at home,” she shrugged.

Then she remembered that her home was gone.

The realization came as she made the familiar drive up to the top of Laurel Mountain in the Roaring Fork neighborhood of Gatlinburg on Friday, where what lay ahead was anything but familiar. On the first day officials let property owners return to assess the damage from the wildfire that devastated their homes, the eastern Tennessee tourist destination was headed toward an uncertain future.

As people were allowed into the city, Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters raised the death toll to 13 and said the number of damaged buildings now approached 1,000. He also defended the response to the wildfires that spread rapidly Monday, saying it was not the time for “Monday morning quarterbacking.” He promised a full review later.

Gatlinburg residents and business owners, meanwhile, got their first look at the wildfire destruction Friday, and many walked around the once-bustling city in a daze, sobbing.

They hugged each other and promised they would stay in touch.

“We love it up here so much,” said Gary Moore, Charlotte’s husband, his voice trembling. “We lost everything. But we’re alive, thank goodness. Our neighbors are alive, most of them. And we’re just so thankful for that.”

Every home they passed on the drive up was a pile of unrecognizable rubble. They stopped to console some neighbors — Scott and Tammy Sherrod — who were seeing what was left of their home for the first time. Scott calmly walked through what remained of the home he bought with a VA loan four years ago. Tammy sat among the ashes and cried.

Tammy and her daughter salvaged a few items, including a pottery coaster that her daughter had made when she was a little girl. Half of it shined in bright colors, while the other half was charred black. Brianna’s name was still written on the back.

“That’s all we got,” Tammy said.

Tammy and her family had escaped the flames just in time Monday night. As she drove her car down the road, she placed her hand against the window for a moment but had to jerk it away because the heat had burned her.

“It was like the gates of hell opened up,” she said.

After days of waiting to see their homes, some of the shock gave way to anger.

“The city sure could have done a better job of getting us out of here,” said Delbert Wallace, who lost his home. “When they got up that morning, when they seen that fire, we should have been on alert right then.”

Authorities urged anyone who hiked the trial to give them a call.

Waters and other local officials said the fire moved so far so fast that it gave them little time to react.

The dead included a Memphis couple separated from their three sons during the wildfires. The sons — Jared, Wesley and Branson Summers — learned that their parents had died as they were recovering in a Nashville hospital.

“The boys, swaddled in bandages with tubes hanging out and machines attached, were allowed to break quarantine, and were together in the same room, briefly, when I confirmed their parents’ death,” their uncle Jim Summers wrote on a Facebook page set up for the family. Their injuries “pale in comparison with their grief.”

Other fatalities included a couple from Canada, 71-year-old Jon Tegler and 70-year-old Janet Tegler, a woman named Alice Hagler, and May Vance, who died of a heart attack after she was exposed to smoke. Officials said she was vacationing in Gatlinburg, but an obituary posted online said she was from the area.

Other victims’ names have not been released.

In communities near Gatlinburg, signs of normalcy appeared. In Pigeon Forge, the Comedy House rented an electronic billboard message that said it was open, and Dollywood, the amusement park named after Dolly Parton, reopened Friday afternoon after it was spared any damage.

The Associated Press was allowed into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park — the most visited national park in the country — on Thursday. Soot, ash and blackened trees covered the forest floor, and the gorgeous vistas of tree-topped mountain ranges were scarred by large areas of blackened soil and trees. Small plumes of smoke smoldered from hot spots.

Deputy Park Superintendent Jordan Clayton said the initial fire started Nov. 23 near the end of the Chimney Tops hiking trail.

“Whether it was purposefully set or whether it was a careless act that was not intended to cause a fire, that we don’t know,” Clayton said. “The origin of the fire is under investigation.”

At the top of the mountain, Charlotte Moore took a picture of her burned-out car. She found a favorite vase mostly intact, but the coins inside were melted together. She and her husband are better off than most because they also own a home in Florida, which is where they were at the time of the fire. But Gatlinburg had been their primary residence. On Friday, they spent most of their time at home comforting their neighbors.

“It just hits me in the gut,” Gary Moore said.

Mattise reported from Nashville, Tennessee. Associated Press writers Rebecca Yonker in Louisville, Kentucky, and Kristin M. Hall in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, contributed to this report.</s>GATLINBURG, Tenn. | Crews discovered the remains of more people as they searched the rubble of wildfires that torched hundreds of homes and businesses near the Great Smoky Mountains, bringing the death toll to 11, officials said Thursday.

Authorities set up a hotline for people to report missing friends and relatives, and after following up on dozens of leads, they said many of those people had been accounted for. They did not say whether they believe anyone else is still missing or may have died.

“I think it’s fair to say that the search is winding down,” Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters said. “And hopefully we will not find any more.”

He said the searches would likely be completed Friday.

Nearly 24 hours of rain on Wednesday helped dampen the wildfires, but fire officials struck a cautious tone, saying people shouldn’t have a false sense of security because months of drought have left the ground bone-dry and wildfires can rekindle.

The trouble began Monday when a wildfire, likely caused by a person, spread from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park into the tourist city of Gatlinburg as hurricane-force winds toppled trees and power lines, blowing embers in all directions.

“We had trees going down everywhere, power lines, all those power lines were just like lighting a match because of the extreme drought conditions. So we went from nothing to over 20-plus structure fires in a matter of minutes. And that grew and that grew and that grew,” Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller said.

More than 14,000 residents and visitors in Gatlinburg were forced to evacuate, and the typically bustling tourist city has been shuttered ever since. At least 700 buildings in the county have been damaged.

“Gatlinburg is the people; that’s what Gatlinburg is. It’s not the buildings, it’s not the stuff in the buildings,” Mayor Mike Werner said. “We’re gonna be back better than ever. Just be patient.”

Starting Friday, homeowners, business owners, renters and lease holders will be allowed to go see most of their Gatlinburg properties, said City Manager Cindy Cameron Ogle. The city is hoping to open main roads to the general public Wednesday.

There were other signs of recovery. Waters declared that Sevier County was “open for business.” In nearby Pigeon Forge, the Comedy House rented an electronic billboard message that said it was open for laughs, and a flyer at a hotel urged guests to check out the scenic Cades Cove loop. “Take a drive and remember what you love about the Smokies!” the flyer said.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Cassius Cash has said the fires were “likely to be human-caused” but he has refused to elaborate, saying only that the investigation continues. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are helping investigate the cause.

About 10,000 acres, or 15 square miles, burned inside the country’s most visited national park. Another 6,000 acres were scorched outside of the park.

One of the victims was identified as Alice Hagler. Her son Lyle Wood said his mother and brother lived in a home at Chalet Village in Gatlinburg and she frantically called his brother Monday night because the house had caught fire. The call dropped as Wood’s brother raced up the fiery mountain trying to get to his mother. He didn’t make it in time.

“My mom was a very warm, loving, personable person. She never met a stranger. She would talk to anybody,” Wood said.

Authorities said they were still working to identify the dead and did not release any details about how they were killed.

Three brothers being treated at a Nashville hospital said they had not heard from their parents since they were separated while fleeing the fiery scene during their vacation.

A number of funds have been established to help victims of the wildfires, including one set up by the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and another by country music legend and native Dolly Parton.

The flames reached the doorstep of Dollywood, the theme park named after Parton, but the park was spared any significant damage and will reopen Friday.

About 240 people stayed overnight in shelters, including Mark Howard, who was flat on his back in the hospital with pneumonia when the wildfires started. He called 911 when he heard his house was consumed.

“I had no insurance. It’s a total loss,” the 57-year-old owner of a handyman business said.

Mattise reported from Nashville, Tennessee. Associated Press writers Rebecca Yonker in Louisville, Kentucky, and Kristin M. Hall in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, contributed to this report.
The death toll from the wildfire that hit the U.S. town of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, rises to 13.