Mynatt Park area of Gatlinburg. Image by Jeaneane Payne.

GATLINBURG, TN — Gatlinburg Fire officials report that a spot fire in the Twin Creeks area of the national park, combined with the low humidity and the windy conditions, have created a threat to the Mynatt Park Neighborhood. The Fire Department is making preparations to protect the Mynatt Neighborhood. Gatlinburg Police Officers are going door to door asking residents to voluntarily evacuate to the Red Cross Evacuation Shelter set up at the Gatlinburg Community Center located at 156 Proffitt Road. Residents needing transportation to the shelter may request assistance by calling from the Gatlinburg Police Department at 865-436-5181.

The National Park Service reports more fire growth in the park over the next 8 hours with the potential for spot fires to form outside of the fire area. Gatlinburg Fire Department will continue to monitor the situation and the Tennessee Division of Forestry has staged equipment in the Mynatt Park community.

The National Park Service fire crew numbers responding to the Chimney 2 Fire have continued to increase over the course of the weekend. Currently park firefighters have been joined by firefighters from Utah and additional support resources have been ordered including an incident management team along with 4 hand crews (total of 80 people) and air support. Some of the additional crews arrived today and others are expected to arrive early tomorrow morning.

Park Service fire crews, Gatlinburg Fire Department, and Tennessee State Forestry Department have provided additional equipment and support to the fire at Twin Creeks. National Park Service fire crews and local fire departments are working on suppression efforts to ensure public safety and to protect facilities throughout the area.

Fire conditions continue to change rapidly as the day continues. The park continues to experience very dry conditions with relative humidity less than 50%. As of 1:00 pm today the park recorded average wind speeds of 20 mph with gusts up to 50 mph. The forecast is for wind speed to increase this afternoon. Fire growth is expected.

Because of extreme wind conditions on Monday, air crews are unable to fly to view the fires or drop water in suppression efforts.

Rain is forecasted for Monday evening which could aid in the suppression efforts, but extreme wind gusts of up to 85 mph are being predicted for tonight.

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