(Twitter/Rep. Jason Zachary)
More than 14,000 people evacuated Gatlinburg, Tennessee as a huge fire swept through the region, leaving seven dead, dozens injured, and more than 700 homes and businesses damaged or destroyed. But which businesses, resorts, and landmarks were destroyed and which escaped unscathed?
Here is a list of what was destroyed and what escaped the ravaging fire. Information is being constantly updated as the severity of the damage is assessed. We will update this story as we have more information.
Businesses & Landmarks Destroyed or Severely Damaged in the Gatlinburg Fire
According to WBIR and other sources, the following businesses were destroyed in the Gatlinburg fire, which may have been the state’s largest fire in 100 years.
- Alamo Steakhouse – Destroyed
- Banner Baptist Church – The fellowship hall burned to the ground and the main building suffered smoke damage
- Bolze mansion – Destroyed according to the current owner
- Chalet Village (damaged but not destroyed, extent not known)
- Cobbly Knob area – Not completely destroyed, but 70 homes in the area were destroyed
- Condo Villas of Gatlinburg Association – 31 homes destroyed
- Cupid’s Chapel of Love – The chapel is gone, but the 5-star sister chapel, Chapel at the Park, is safe.
- Eight Gables Inn – Completely destroyed
- Gatlinburg Church of Christ – Destroyed
- Gatlinburg Sky Lift – Buildings at the top of the mountain were destroyed, according to Gatlinburg TN Guide
- Heart of Gold – According to this Facebook post, the chapel was lost in the fire
- Highland Condominiums – Here’s a photo
- The Hide-A-Way Cabin – Destroyed according to this blog post
- The Mountain Lodge Restaurant – Destroyed
- River House Motor Lodge – According to numerous Facebook posts and pictures, it was destroyed
- Roaring Fork Baptist Church – The worship and family life center were destroyed.
- Tree Tops Resort – Some buildings were destroyed. It’s not yet known if any remained intact.
- Wear’s Valley area – At least 70 homes destroyed
- Westgate Resort – Main check-in building destroyed and some cabins damaged.
Businesses & Landmarks Safe or Intact after the Gatlinburg Fire
According to WBIR, the following businesses escaped severe damage and are intact. This doesn’t mean they aren’t damaged at all, but the businesses are intact.
- Alpine Chalet Rentals – They may not know until Thursday when people are allowed back to assess the damage. They posted on Facebook that the office appears to be standing but the laundry facility is destroyed. However, their cabins in Black Bears Falls and Pigeon Forge appear to be OK.
- Applewood Farmhouse
- Arts & Crafts Community down Glades Road – according to Gatlinburg TN Guide
- Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts (only Hughes Hall and Wild Wing damaged)
- Baskins Creek Condos – Undamaged according to their Facebook
- Bearskin Lodge – Still standing but may be closed through December 12. Road closures in the area were extended.
- Bennett’s Pit Bar-B-Que – according to Gatlinburg TN Guide
- Big Daddy’s Pizza – according to Gatlinburg TN Guide
- Black Bear Falls (despite earlier reports saying it was destroyed, WBIR now reports it was not damaged)
- Cade’s Cove – Remained open on Tuesday
- Calhoun’s – Unharmed. Closed until further notice.
- Carr’s Cottages (as of Tuesday morning)
- Chapel at the Park
- Cherokee Grill – according to Gatlinburg TN Guide
- Christ in the Smokies – No damage
- Clarion Inn & Suites
- CLIMB Works
- Colonial Properties Cabin & Resort Rentals
- Cooter’s Place
- Covered Bridge Resort – See their Facebook post
- Crawdaddy’s Restaurant – Fine
- Days Inn on the River – Told WBIR they believe the building is still standing
- Deer Ridge Mountain Resort
- Delauder’s Smoky Mountain BBQ – according to Gatlinburg TN Guide
- Doc Collier Moonshine – Building and employees are fine
- Dollywood – The DreamMore resort is not damaged and the park only has wind damage. Some cabins were destroyed.
- Downtown Gatlinburg
- DreamMore Resort – according to Gatlinburg TN Guide
- Elkmont
- Elk Springs Resort – Cabins are fine, but some employees’ homes were destroyed.
- First Baptist Church – The main sanctuary is intact, but the youth building and custodian’s residence were lost
- Fudge Shoppe of the Smokies
- Gatlinburg Baymont on the River – According to their Facebook page, “to our knowledge our hotel is one of the lucky ones; it was safe.”
- Gatlinburg Chateau – No fire damage and working on setting up a reservation command center
- Gatlinburg Falls Resort – According to Facebook, they are 90 percent untouched and business will resume “shortly.”
- Gatlinburg-Pittman High School
- Gatlinburg Space Needle – according to Gatlinburg TN Guide
- Glenstone Lodge – Not affected by the fire, but management can’t get to the lodge until the roads are reopened
- Gillette Motel – Still standing and untouched by the fire
- Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont
- Greystone Lodge – Per WATE6
- Hillbilly Golf – Buildings fine. Some parts of the golf course were damaged.
- Holiday Inn Club Vacations – Last post from Holiday Inn stated that although they could not fully assess the damage, they received word that damage was minimal
- Honeymoon Hills
- Jack Huff’s – Fine, but closed until city services are available, at least through Monday
- Just Fer Paws – Fine and fully operational
- Laurel Springs Lodge Bed & Breakfast – Intact, but they haven’t been able to get to the lodge yet
- LeConte Lodge
- Little Log Wedding Chapel
- Log Cabin Pancake House
- Mt Leconte Lodge – according to Gatlinburg TN Guide
- Maddog’s Creamery & Donuts – Will reopen once cleaned up, but the store is fine
- Mountain Mall – according to Gatlinburg TN Guide
- No Way Jose’s – according to Gatlinburg TN Guide
- Oak Square – No fire damage and working on setting up a reservation command center
- Ober Gatlinburg
- Old Creek Lodge – They reported on Facebook that the hotel was safe, but they would not be able to evaluate it until they were let back into the town. The hotel will likely be closed until December 5.
- Olde Gatlinburg Condos – according to Gatlinburg TN Guide
- Old Gatlinburg Place – No fire damage and working on setting up a reservation command center
- Ole Smoky Moonshine – according to Gatlinburg TN Guide
- Park Vista hotel
- Parrot Mountain
- Peddler Steakhouse – Posted on Facebook that they are OK
- Pi Beta Phi Elementary (minor damage)
- Pittman Center Elementary
- Ripley’s Aquarium – Intact and animals are OK
- Rocky Waters Motor Inn
- Sidney James Mountain Lodge – No fire damage and working on setting up a reservation command center
- Smoky Mountain Brewery – Just fine but closed until further notice
- St. Mary Catholic Church – According to this photo
- Sugarland Distilling Company – No damage
- Sugarland Visitors Center – No park structures damaged. Minor damage from downed trees.
- Sweet Fanny Adams Theatre – The theatre is intact, but an actor lost his home.
- The Fox and Parrot Tavern – according to Gatlinburg TN Guide
- The Historic Gatlinburg Inn – Safe and intact, but haven’t gained access to the inn yet
- The Island
- The Laurel Inn – No fire damage and working on setting up a reservation command center
- The Park Grill
- The Preacher’s House
- The Summit of Gatlinburg
- Zoder’s Inn – The inn is fine but they won’t be able to get to the inn until Dec. 5 at the earliest
According to WBIR and other sources, the state of the following businesses isn’t yet known:
- Aunt Bug’s Cabins – They are still assessing the situation. See their Facebook page for more details.
- Bluegreen Mountain Loft Resort – Facebook posts indicate it’s still standing, but there’s no official confirmation yet
- Brookside Resort – Unknown until they can get on the property. One photo showed a roof missing.
- Buckberry Lodge – Assessing the situation and not taking reservations. (Note: Other sources say there was extensive damage.)
- Cyrstelle Creek Restaurant & Grill – No notice yet on their Facebook page
- Ely’s Mill – Keep an eye on their Facebook for updates
- Gatlinburg Town Square Resort – Status is currently unknown. On Facebook, Exploria Resorts shared a message that the city was evacuated and the management team would not have an update until they could return and inspect the resort grounds.
- Gatehouse Condominiums – Some damage but it’s not known how much (per this Facebook photo)
- Greenbrier Restaurant – Responding to a comment on Facebook, they wrote that they think the restaurant is OK and hope to be allowed on site soon to confirm
- Johnson’s Inn – According to their Facebook, they are still assessing fire damage. Reservations for this weekend will be refunded.
- Laurel Crest – Haven’t seen official word yet. Some posts on Facebook show the fires were near and some show it ended up OK. The official status isn’t known yet.
- Laurel Point Resort – Took some damage but how much is not yet known
- Mooney’s Ski Mountain Chalet
- Mountain Laurel Chalet – According to their Facebook, it may be awhile before they know details as the area is still evacuated
- Mysterious Mansion – May have been damaged but not destroyed.
- Nantahala Outdoor Center – The current status is still being assessed. The store will be closed at least through Wednesday, according to their Facebook page.
- Outdoor Resorts at Gatlinburg – A Facebook commenter posted that he spoke with the owner who lives in the resort and the owner said they were OK. The Resorts’ Facebook page simply says that Bill Black’s house was spared, but 31 houses in his neighborhood were destroyed. Because of this, we’re listing Outdoor Resorts as “not yet known.”
- Quality Inn behind Days Inn on the River
- River Terrace – Still assessing damage and temporarily closed
- Roaring Fork – There’s no official word, but The Daily Times quoted one person as seeing Roaring Fork in flames
- Timber Tops Luxury Log Cabins (including Great Smoky Lodge) – Status unknown. They posted on Facebook that they are still assessing damage and the severity is not known yet.
Do you know about a business that isn’t listed above? Let us know in the comments below.
For more information about the fire, please see these stories below: