Dollywood Reopens Entry as Crews Respond to Pigeon Forge Wildfire

Wildfire burning in Pigeon Forge near Dollywood (Courtesy: WVLT)

Dollywood Reopens Entry as Crews Respond to Pigeon Forge Wildfire

Wildfire burning in Pigeon Forge near Dollywood (Courtesy: WVLT)

Pigeon Forge, TN (WOKI) UPDATE 11/16 4:45 p.m.: The Pigeon Forge Fire Department and the Tennessee Department of Forestry continue working a wildfire that sparked ahead of 3:00 Thursday afternoon.

Representatives with Dollywood have now reopened entry into the park after a temporary suspension for roughly thirty minutes Thursday. An announcement from park officials on ‘X’ says “Dollywood entries are no longer suspended and turnstiles are open for all guests.”

UPDATE: The Pigeon Forge Fire Department and the Tennessee Department of Forestry are on the scene this afternoon of a wildfire near Dollywood.

Officials say the fire is burning in a heavily-wooded area near E. Ridge Road and Veterans Boulevard. They say structures were threatened by the blaze but that bulldozers had responded to set up a fire perimeter. As of 3:30 today, officials say a line had been established around the fire.

Representatives with Dollywood have now suspended entry to the theme park while they work with agencies to monitor the situation. Dollywood is about a 10-minute drive from the site of the fire.

There is currently a burn ban in Sevier County. People in Sevier County can sign up for emergency fire alerts straight to their phones here. The state also tracks wildfires here.

ORIGINAL STORY: The Pigeon Forge Fire Department and the Tennessee Department of Forestry are on the scene this afternoon of a wildfire near Dollywood.

Officials say the fire is burning in a heavily-wooded area near E. Ridge Road and Veterans Boulevard. They say structures were threatened by the blaze but that bulldozers had responded to set up a fire perimeter. As of 3:30 today, officials say a line had been established around the fire.

The Dollywood theme park is about a 10-minute drive from the site of the fire. Park officials say they are monitoring the situation, but there has been no change so far to park operations.

This is a developing story.