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Wildfires Sweep Through the Drought Stricken Southeastern US

by VOA News

   U.S. National Guard troops are being deployed to help as firefighters
   battle wildfires that have destroyed homes and businesses in
   Gatlinburg, in the southern U.S. state of Tennessee, and surrounding
   areas in the Smoky Mountains National Park, according to the Tennessee
   Emergency Management Agency.

   The troops will transport first responders, perform welfare checks and
   clear debris.

   The wildfires have forced the evacuations of areas in Gatlinburg,
   Pigeon Forge and Sevier County.

   Motorists stop to view wildfires in the Great Smokey Mountains near
   Gatlinburg, Tennessee, U.S., November 28, 2016.

   Thirty structures have been destroyed in Gatlinburg, including a 16
   story hotel, but no deaths have been reported.

   Some 1,200 people are in shelters and about 12,000 others are without
   power.

   Approaching rain storms may provide relief for the firefighters, but
   their high winds could also hamper efforts to extinguish the wildfires.
   The winds could also topple dead trees and branches, posing a threat to
   firefighters.

   The storms are also approaching two of the largest wildfires sweeping
   through the southern United States, an 11,000 hectare blaze in north
   Georgia and a 10,000 hectare fire burning on both sides of the
   Georgia-North Carolina line.

   There are 22 other large wildfires in throughout the drought-stricken
   southeastern United States.