Dolly Parton Sends Message To the ‘Brave Men and Women’ Fighting East Tennessee Wildfire

by Caitlin Berard
written by Caitlin Berard
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On Thursday afternoon, a mandatory evacuation was ordered in East Tennessee due to a wildfire growing rapidly in the Pigeon Forge area. The fire, called the Indigo Lane Fire and Hatcher Mountain Fire, has now burned 3,700 acres and damaged 100 structures. Watching the terrifying situation unfold from her home in Brentwood, Tennessee, Dolly Parton took to Twitter to share both pride and worry for her home state.

At a Glance

  • Brush fires have torn through East Tennessee, burning over 3,000 acres of land
  • Tennessee Division of Forestry is struggling to contain the raging fires
  • Dolly Parton posted a message expressing her pride and concern for her home state to social media

Dolly Parton Speaks Out About Tennessee Wildfire

With multiple devastating wildfires torching her beloved Tennessee, Dolly Parton posted her concern for The Volunteer State and its residents. “I’ve been keeping up with everything going on with the fires near my home area. It looks scary on TV,” Parton said. “But I’m proud of how everyone in the area has pulled together like they always do. I’m especially proud of the brave men and women who are working to contain the fire.”

The country icon then asked her fans to join her in a prayer for the people affected by the flames. “I know there are some folks who have been affected,” Parton said. “And I hope that you will join me in saying a prayer for them. During this time, I’ve also remained in touch with my people at Dollywood who have assured me everything is okay there.”

Tennessee Firefighters Struggle to Contain Wildfires

Sadly, the low humidity and high winds in East Tennessee are making the fires difficult to contain. Brook Smith, a spokesperson from the Tennessee Division of Forestry, said that clusters of fallen trees catching fire are their current biggest concern, as even rain wouldn’t stop the flames at that point.

“We’re currently putting in lines and doing structure protection,” Smith said. “As the fire breaks those containment lines, we are pulling back and readjusting, and putting in new lines. The wind is making this fire very hard to manage.”

Thankfully, no deaths have occurred due to the fires thus far. Two firefighters suffered minor injuries, however, and one man had to be flown out by LifeStar due to his injuries.

Outsider.com