GATLINBURG, Tenn. – The Latest on wildfires in Tennessee that killed seven people and destroyed hundreds of buildings (all times local):

A Tennessee mayor says three more bodies have been recovered after the wildfires in the Great Smoky Mountains, bringing the death toll to seven. ATLANTA | Raging wildfires fueled by high winds forced the evacuation of thousands of people and damaged hundreds of buildings in a popular resort town on the border of the Smoky Mountains National Park as National Guard troops arrived early Tuesday to help overwhelmed firefighters. Rain had begun to fall in some areas, but experts predicted it would not be enough to end the relentless drought that has spread across several Southern states and provided fuel for fires now burning for weeks in states including Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina. "Fire was coming over the mountains, and the smoke was so bad we could barely breathe as we were trying to pack up," Mike Gill told NBC News as he was leaving the area with his wife. “I would say it’s way too early to say ‘Yes, this drought is over,'” Svoboda said. Authorities haven’t said whether they’ll be forced to rely on dental records to identify any of the remains found. 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. Miller said the fire spread Monday night by winds that at times exceeded 87 miles per hour. Two of the four zones searched stood at 80 percent and 90 percent complete Thursday morning, with the other two expected to be complete by nightfall, Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller said. They don’t want to go home.”

Estimates place the number of homes and businesses damaged or destroyed at more than 700 so far — about 300 inside the Gatlinburg city limits and another 400 in neighboring Pigeon Forge and unincorporated communities such as Wears Valley and Cobbly Nob. Emergency officials ordered evacuations in downtown Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge and in other areas of Sevier County near the Smoky Mountains while crews continue to battle the blaze, which also had crept to the edge of the Dollywood theme park. “I don’t have a great understanding of it myself, because it’s so unfathomable.”

The fire displaced more than 14,000 residents from Gatlinburg alone, many of whom fled home Monday night in the dark with nothing more than what they could carry. About 1,200 people took shelter at the Gatlinburg Community Center and the Rocky Top Sports Park, and several other shelters opened. In a news release Tuesday morning, authorities say three people who suffered severe burns have been transferred from a Knoxville hospital to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, which has a burn unit. 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. Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies made the announcement in a statement Tuesday, hours after workers had to flee the building when wildfires fueled by high winds spread across parts of eastern Tennessee. And preliminary surveys indicated that Westgate Resorts, with more than 100 buildings, and Ober Gatlinburg were both likely destroyed, according to a news release Tuesday morning. The agency had previously said it had reports that the Ober Gatlinburg amusement park and ski area had been destroyed as well, but later said resort officials had checked in and said the property was fine. Officials with Dollywood, the amusement park named after country music icon Dolly Parton, said the theme park wasn’t damaged, but more than a dozen cabins operated by the park had been. A Pigeon Forge business donated $100,000 to relief efforts Wednesday, and country music icon Dolly Parton, Sevier County’s most famous native, pledged to donate $1,000 per month for six months to every family who lost a home in the fire. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Dolly Parton heartbroken over wildfires

Country music star Dolly Parton says she is "heartbroken" over wildfires that have killed three people and injured 14 near her Tennessee resort.
At least three deaths and several injuries caused by wildfires in Tennessee are reported near Dolly Parton's Dollywood resort.