#9 of 10 Most Popular News Galleries of 2016: Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Smoke rises from the remains of the Alamo Steak House Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016, in Gatlinburg, Tenn., after a wildfire swept through the area Monday. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
A burned car sits in a parking lot Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016, in Gatlinburg, Tenn., after a wildfire swept through the area Monday. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Janie Thompson speaks about her financial concerns outside of a temporary shelter in Gatlinburg, Tenn., Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016. (Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean via AP)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
An ambulance drives between the smoldering remains of a business and several burning trees in the wake of a wildfire November 30, 2016 in Gatlinburg, Tenn. (Brian Blanco/Getty Images)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters speaks during a press conference, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016, in Gatlinburg, Tenn. (Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean via AP)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Resident Mark Rowlett finds a high vantage point to survey the damage to structures and woodlands as smoke fills the air and surrounds businesses and resorts in the wake of a wildfire November 30, 2016 in downtown Gatlinburg, Tennessee. (Brian Blanco/Getty Images)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Troopers from the Tennessee Highway Patrol help residents leave an area under threat of wildfire after a mandatory evacuation was ordered in Gatlinburg, Tenn., on Nov. 28, 2016. (Tennessee Highway Patrol/Handout via Reuters)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Liz Standfuss and her grandson Griffin, 4, sit on cots in a shelter as they FaceTime with Griffin’s mother, father and sister after evacuating the night prior from a fire while on vacation at the Westgate Resort in nearby Gatlinburg, Tenn., on Nov. 29, 2016 in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. (Brian Blanco/Getty Images)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Firefighters stand by a destroyed home after a wildfire forced the mandatory evacuation of Gatlinburg, Tenn., on Nov. 28, 2016. (Tennessee Highway Patrol/Handout via Reuters)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
A structure and vehicle are damaged from the wildfires around Gatlinburg, Tenn., on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016. (Michael Patrick/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
In this aerial photo, smoke rise above Gatlinburg, Tenn., Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016, the day after a wildfire destroyed numerous homes and buildings. (Paul Efird/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
The remains of a home and cars smolder after a wildfire November 29, 2016 in Gatlinburg, Tenn. (Brian Blanco/Getty Images)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Two dormitories from Arrowmont School are damaged from the wildfires around Gatlinburg, Tenn., on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016. (Michael Patrick/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
This aerial photo shows, destroyed homes, many burned down to the foundation, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016., the day after a wildfire in Gatlinburg, Tenn. (Paul Efird/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Smoke plumes from wildfires are shown in the Great Smokey Mountains near Gatlinburg, Tenn., Nov. 28, 2016. (Courtesy of National Park Services Staff/Handout via Reuters)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Law enforcement vehicles drive through the smoke near structures destroyed by wildfires in Gatlinburg, Tenn., Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016. (AP Photo/Erik Schelzig)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Trevor Cates, walks through the smoldering remains of the fellowship hall of his church, the Banner Missionary Baptist Church as he inspects damage after a widfire on Nov. 29, 2016 in Gatlinburg, Tenn. (Brian Blanco/Getty Images)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Shari Deason holds her ld son William outside of the Rocky Top Sports Center, serving as a Red Cross shelter, next door to the TEMA command center at Gatlinburg-Pittman High School in Gatlinburg, Tenn., Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016. (Amy Smotherman Burgess/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
The Alamo Steakhouse is damaged from the wildfires around Gatlinburg, Tenn., on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016. (Michael Patrick/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
The remains of a business smolders after a wildfire on Nov. 29, 2016 in Gatlinburg, Tenn. (Brian Blanco/Getty Images)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Smoke from wildfires fill the air around Gatlinburg, Tenn., on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016. (Michael Patrick/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Burned structures are seen from aboard a National Guard helicopter near Gatlinburg, Tenn., Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016. (AP Photo/Erik Schelzig)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
A burned vending machine rests outside a destroyed building, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016, in Gatlinburg, Tenn., after a wildfire swept through the area Monday. (Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean via AP)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
A forestry crew from South Dakota cleans up after wildfires burned multiple business and homes in Gatlinburg, Tenn., on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016. (Michael Patrick/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
A structure and vehicle are damaged from the wildfires around Gatlinburg, Tenn., on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016. (Michael Patrick/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Chimneys and melted electrical boxes were damaged from the wildfires around Gatlinburg, Tenn., on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016. (Michael Patrick/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Burned structures are seen from aboard a National Guard helicopter near Gatlinburg, Tenn., Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016. (AP Photo/Erik Schelzig)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
A forestry crew from South Dakota walking along the spur between cutting up trees fallen after wildfires burned multiple business and homes in Gatlinburg, Tenn., on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016. (Michael Patrick/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
In this aerial photo, smoke rises from destroyed buildings Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016, at the Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa above Gatlinburg, Tenn., the day after a wildfire. (Paul Efird/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Polo Gutierrez climbs onto the foundation of a destroyed home to try and see if his apartment building is still standing, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016, in Gatlinburg, Tenn., after a wildfire swept through the area Monday. Gutierrez fled his apartment with other residents as fires approached the previous night. (Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean via AP)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Possessions from a destroyed home are reduced to ashes, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016, in Gatlinburg, Tenn., after a wildfire swept through the area Monday. (Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean via AP)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Smoke surrounds a home as seen from aboard a National Guard helicopter near Gatlinburg, Tenn., Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016. (AP Photo/Erik Schelzig)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
A structure and a car are damaged from the wildfires around Gatlinburg, Tenn., on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016. (Michael Patrick/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
A utility pole is left damaged as fires smolder nearby after a wildfire November 29, 2016 in Gatlinburg, Tenn. ( Brian Blanco/Getty Images)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
A melted desk rests inside a destroyed building, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016, in Gatlinburg, Tenn., after a wildfire swept through the area Monday. (Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean via AP)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
The remains of homes and vehicles smolder after a wildfire on Nov. 29, 2016 in Gatlinburg, Tenn. (Brian Blanco/Getty Images)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Thick smoke from area forest fires looms in Gatlinburg, Tenn., Monday, Nov. 28, 2016. (Brianna Paciorka/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Thick smoke from area forest fires looms as people walk in Gatlinburg, Tenn., Monday, Nov. 28, 2016. (Brianna Paciorka/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Thick smoke from area forest fires looms in Gatlinburg, Tenn., Monday, Nov. 28, 2016. (Brianna Paciorka/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Fire erupts on both side of Highway 441 between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tenn., Monday, Nov. 28, 2016. (Jessica Tezak/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP)
Great Smoky Mountains wildfires ravage Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Motorists stop to view wildfires in the Great Smokey Mountains near Gatlinburg, Tenn., on Nov. 28, 2016. (Courtesy of National Park Services Staff/Handout via Reuters)
(Originally posted on November 30, 2016)
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At least seven people have died from the massive eastern Tennessee wildfire that has burned more than 15,600 acres in Sevier County, officials said on Wednesday.
Officials have not released the names of the deceased.
The blaze — which has devastated the cities of Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and surrounding areas — has also injured 53 people, scorched more than 700 homes and forced thousands to evacuate, officials said. It is believed to be human caused.
Some 14,000 people were evacuated from Gatlinburg on Monday night, and the city has been closed off to residents since then. Police say they have searched about 30 percent of the city so far, and officials estimate that some 300 buildings were destroyed there alone.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam said that the wildfire is the state’s biggest in 100 years. (GMA)
See RELATED STORY by Michael Walsh/Yahoo News
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