Gatlinburg dedicates wildfire memorial

Officials with the city of Gatlinburg and Sevier County held a ceremony to dedicate a memorial honoring the lives lost in the 2016 wildfires. The memorial is located in Gatlinburg’s Mynatt Park, which is in the area that was most impacted by the fires. The memorial includes two seaprate plazas on each side of LeConte Creek, one serving as tribute to the first responders who aided in the response and recovery efforts. The second plaza is dedicated to the 14 people who lost their lives in the wildfires. The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is the main funding source of the Memorial and Tribute Plaza through a Transportation Alternatives Grant in the amount of $852,293 and is a reimbursement grant. The city of Gatlinburg and Sevier County funded 20% of the estimated cost of construction, plus engineering.