By J.J. Stambaugh
The Knoxville News-Sentinel
GATLINBURG, Tenn. — Firefighters this morning contained a wildfire that forced the evacuation of Cobbly Nob near Gatlinburg, destroyed two homes and damaged two others.
The small community on Webb Mountain in Sevier County contains about 150 homes, which were threatened by an estimated 60-acre wildfire that was reported about 7:30 p.m. Monday.
A handful of agencies from across East Tennessee converged on the village off U.S. Highway 321 between Cosby and Gatlinburg to help battle the blaze in rugged terrain above the Bent Creek Golf Course.
The area is “really really steep,” which makes the fire harder to fight, said Scott Stout, a spokesman with the Roane County Office of Emergency Services.
One firefighter overcome by smoke inhalation was treated at the scene, according to Stout.
The cause and origination of the fire are undetermined, Stout said. No initial damage estimate was immediately available.
A crew from the Tennessee Division of Forestry used bulldozers to cut a line around and contain the blaze. Firefighters are working on the hot spots this morning.
Concerns for firefighters today are unseasonably warm temperatures, humidity under 30 percent and winds at 10 to 15 mph, which may reignite the blaze, Stout said.
The National Weather Service had issued a statement Monday afternoon warning of wildfire danger across East Tennessee, including the Smoky Mountains in Sevier County.
Patty Woods of Greenbrier Valley Resorts and Real Estate said they were trying to evacuate their guests Monday night. She said the agency has about 80 homes on the mountain.
Some of the residents in the fire area would not evacuate, Stout said.
A crew of 16 firefighters from the state Division of Forestry was joined by units from Knox, Blount, Sevier, Roane, Jefferson, Loudon, Monroe counties and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Copyright 2009 The Knoxville News Sentinel