Gatlinburg fires: 13 dead; some residents allowed to check properties

The number of people killed as a direct or indirect result of this week’s wildfires in eastern Tennessee has risen to 13, though emergency crews still have more areas to check, officials said Friday.

And for the first time since Monday night’s flames swept through the Gatlinburg area, authorities allowed some residents to get into the charred areas to see their properties and collect anything they can salvage, Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters said at a news conference.

Here’s a look at some of the latest information about the fires that swept into this resort-heavy area of Tennessee:

13 killed; some names released

Of the 13 who died, 12 were killed in the fires, and one person had a heart attack after fleeing and being exposed to smoke, Waters and the county’s assistant medical examiner, Dr. Vincent Tolley, said.

An aerial photo shows Gatlinburg, Tennessee, on Tuesday, November 29 -- a day after wildfires hit the city. Gatlinburg city officials declared mandatory evacuations in several areas as firefighters battled at least 14 fires in and around the city. More than 30 large wildfires have left a trail of destruction through North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama and Kentucky, according to the US Forest Service.

Polo Gutierrez climbs onto the foundation of a destroyed home to try to see if his apartment building is still standing in Gatlinburg on November 29. Gutierrez fled his apartment with other residents as fires approached the previous night.

A destroyed structure and vehicle are seen near Gatlinburg on November 29.

An Alamo Steakhouse was one of the Gatlinburg businesses destroyed by fire.

Trevor Cates inspects the damage to the Banner Missionary Baptist Church in Gatlinburg on November 29.

Two dormitories at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts were damaged from the wildfires that flared near Gatlinburg on November 29.

Photographer Bruce McCamish captured this image of the fires burning behind the Dollywood Dreammore Resort in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Fires burn on both sides of Highway 441 between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge on Monday, November 28.

Thick smoke looms in Gatlinburg on November 28.

Officials from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park reported the closing of roads and several trails near Gatlinburg on November 28.

Firefighter Layne Whitney checks the treetops while working to hold the northern head of the Rock Mountain Fire, north of Tate City, Georgia, on Tuesday, November 22.

Flames from the Rock Mountain Fire silhouette a weather vane north of Clayton, Georgia, on Monday, November 21.

Fire crews bring down a dead tree along Highway 9 near the community of Bat Cave, North Carolina, on Friday, November 18.

A helicopter picks up water from Thrasher Lake to help battle a wildfire in Amherst County, Virginia, on November 21.

Eric Willey looks on from the porch of his home as a helicopter fights a wildfire in Tate City, Georgia, on Wednesday, November 16.

Firefighters walk down a dirt road as a wildfire burns a hillside in Clayton, Georgia, on Tuesday, November 15.

A wildfire burns as it approaches Bat Cave, North Carolina, on November 15.

Firefighters Valarie Lopez and Mark Tabaez work to cool hot spots in Clayton on November 15. A number of the fires are being investigated as suspected arson, but weather conditions are also responsible for the fires.

Firefighter Kevin Zimmer works the wildfire in Clayton on November 15.

Exhausted firefighters take a break in Waldens Creek, Tennessee, on Monday, November 14.

A haze hovers over the Atlanta skyline from a wildfire burning in the northwest part of Georgia on November 14.

Assistant Fire Chief Brent Masey sprays water on a wildfire in Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee, on Thursday, November 10.

A helicopter carrying 240 gallons of water takes off in Lake Lure, North Carolina, on November 10.

Smoke from the Party Rock fire spreads near Lake Lure on Wednesday, November 9.

Wildfires scorch the Southeast

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Among the dead, Tolley said, was a couple vacationing from Memphis: Jon and Janet Summers, both 61. They were found in Gatlinburg’s Chalet Village cabin rental area.

Their three sons, who were separated from the couple as the fires swept through the area, were found unconscious. Jared was released from the hospital Thursday while Wesley and Branson Summers remain hospitalized, according to CNN affiliate WKRN.

Fanned by strong winds and the Southeast's worst drought in nearly a decade, at least 14 fires burned in and around Gatlinburg, Tennessee, forcing evacuations from the popular tourist gateway and nearby communities. On Monday afternoon, a wildfire from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park spread rapidly into communities around it. By early Tuesday, emergency officials said about 100 homes were affected by the blaze.