Devastating Gatlinburg fires
- Emergency management officials warn of Sevier County fire recovery scams
- President Obama signs disaster declaration to aid Sevier County
- Gatlinburg firefighting team may head home soon [videos]
- 2016 wildfire season one for the books; officials say it's too soon to say it's over [video]
- Governor seeks quick action on disaster request for Tennessee [photos]
- Did Sevier County's lax building codes help fire spread?
- Chapel of Love lost to fire that ravaged Gatlinburg
- Card games raise cash for fire victims
- Teens charged in fatal Gatlinburg wildfire were playing with matches
- Tourists stream back to Gatlinburg, but rebuilding looms
- Two juveniles arrested, charged in deadly Gatlinburg wildfires
- Businesses that survived the Gatlinburg wildfire are reopening
- Gatlinburg wildfires death toll climbs to 14; officials estimate 1,684 structures damaged or destroyed
- Officials defend controversial timing of evacuation warnings sent after blaze reached Gatlinburg [videos]
- Cars line up to see wildfire-ravaged Tennessee city; 13 dead
- During first look at wildfire rubble, residents in a daze
- Haslam heading to wildfire-ravaged Gatlinburg today
- Death toll from Tennessee wildfires increases to 13
- Search continues for any survivors of wildfires
- Dollywood Foundation to donate $1,000 per month to fire victims
- More than 70 area firefighters helped fight massive fires in Gatlinburg
- University of Tennessee professor predicted Gatlinburg fire for years
- Chattanooga firefighters drive 150 miles to answer Gatlinburg's call for aid as blaze rages
- Dolly Parton heartbroken by wildfires torching her hometown
- Deadly, destructive wildfires ravage Tennessee tourism town
- Tennessee mayor confirms 3 deaths in wildfires
- Wildfires scorch tourist area in Tennessee; thousands flee
- Video: Two men navigate horrifying Gatlinburg mountain fire
- Rhea County students safe after wildfires force evacuation
- Chattanooga firefighters drive 150 miles to answer Gatlinburg's call for aid as blaze rages
- The Latest: Officials say thousands evacuated, 4 injured
- Gatlinburg aquarium workers worried about animals left behind after wildfire forces evacuation
- Gatlinburg, Tenn., hotels, homes destroyed in fires
- Wildfires lead to evacuation of downtown Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Firefighters in the Chattanooga area drove 150 miles with their sirens blaring Monday night to fight the massive fires in Gatlinburg after firefighters there made a rare call for aid, authorities said.
At least 50 firefighters from at 10 agencies the Chattanooga region are either fighting the fire or on their way today, the agencies told the Times Free Press.
"This is really rather extraordinary for fire departments this far from the actual location of the fire to be called out," said Bruce Garner, Chattanooga Fire Department spokesman.
Chattanooga sent crews on an engine and tanker truck to fight the fire, Garner said. A total of 12 firefighters from the city went out, Garner said. One crew traveled last night while a relief crew is headed there today.
The first crew to arrive did some firefighting last night, took a three-hour break, and went back out today, Garner said.
At least five other area agencies sent firefighters to Gatlinburg, Garner said, including from Bradley County, Decatur, Meigs County, Tri-Community, Englewood and Cleveland.
Engines, crews and tankers are also being sent from East Ridge, Soddy-Daisy, Dunlap, Sequoyah and Walden Ridge, according to the Tennessee Fire Chiefs Association.
East Ridge Fire Chief Mike Williams said his crew is on the way today.
"We're expecting a worst case scenario," he said.
Garner said at least 100 cabins in Gatlinburg and a number of commercial buildings are either burning or destroyed. About 14,000 people have been evacuated from the city.
The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency says hundreds of firefighters as well as local and state personnel and National Guard troops have been sent in to help fight the blaze and check on people.
The fire spread rapidly because of high winds, Garner said.
"It started as a single brush or woods fire and then the high winds picked up and carried embers far and wide an the fire spread exponentially," he said. "All over the place, all at once."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
