Wildfires Reach Dollywood's 'Doorstep'; Kept at Bay by Firefighters
The complex is near Gatlinburg, which was evacuated.
— -- Guest cabins at Dollywood have been evacuated amid a series of raging wildfires nearby in Tennessee, according to a representative for the resort and the state's emergency management agency.
The news comes as the town of Gatlinburg and nearby communities, including a portion of Pigeon Forge, where Dollywood is located, have come under a mandatory evacuation order.
Dean Flener, a spokesperson with the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, told ABC News that the wildfires reached “right on the doorstep” of the Dollywood theme park but that firefighting crews managed to stop the blazes from progressing into the park overnight.
So far, the wildfire has burned more than 100 homes in the surrounding area and injured one person. Some 1,200 people were in a local shelter on Monday night and schools in two counties in the affected area will be closed on Tuesday, the agency said.
“We have fire crews on the park working with our team to protect structures," said Pete Owens, Dollywood Director of Media. "There is fire on the ridge near the park."
Owens said the guests in the property's cabins have been relocated.
There was so far no fire in the park, about 8 miles outside of Gatlinburg, as of late Monday night, Owens said.
A representative for Dolly Parton said that everything was OK so far inside the park as of Monday night.