Gatlinburg Fire: Area’s Largest Vacation Rental Company Reports 90% of Cabins Are Untouched By Fire
Gatlinburg, TN (PRWEB) December 21, 2016 -- Life in Smoky Mountains is getting back to normal after the recent Gatlinburg fires. Venture Resorts (https://www.cabinsofthesmokymountains.com), the largest vacation rental company in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, today reported that nearly 90% of its vacation cabins were untouched by the recent wildfires.
“The fires were definitely scary, and our hearts go out to those who lost their homes,” says Billy Parris, general manager of Venture Resorts, “Things would have been a lot worse, except for heroic efforts by area firefighters.”
Partly because of those efforts, Parris says that the vast majority of his company’s rental cabins were untouched by the Gatlinburg fire. Parris reports that Venture Resorts has more than 400 vacation cabins that were unaffected.
“We did lose some cabins,” says Parris, “But immediately after the fire we rebooked guests scheduled to stay in those cabins and moved them to an unaffected cabin, or we refunded their money.”
Wildfires swept through the area on November 29th, and the city of Gatlinburg was placed under an evacuation order. Firefighters battled fires in multiple locations throughout Sevierville County. The fires were a tragedy that resulted in 14 deaths.
In total, forest fires burned 14,000 acres - approximately 23 square miles- within Sevierville County and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. However, Parris points out that Sevierville County and Great Smoky Mountains National Park are over 1,400 square miles in size.
“If you think about it, less than 2% of the land area burned,” he says.
Parris says that he is concerned that misconceptions about the fires may keep travelers away from the Smokies.
“Depending on where you stay, you may see little or no evidence of the fire,” says Parris. “All of the major tourist attractions in the area are open and doing fine.”
Despite initial reports that Ober Gatlinburg ski resort was damaged, and that Dollywood was threatened, both venues were undamaged by the fire.
Since the fires, life in both Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge is returning to normal. Both cities are hosting their annual Winterfest, and the area is hosting its well-known Christmas light shows, including Shadrack’s Christmas Wonderland.
“The Smokies are still beautiful,” says Parris, “And all of us in Gatlinburg are lucky to live and work here.”
About Venture Resorts
Venture Resorts is the largest luxury cabin rental agency in the Smoky Mountains, managing over 400 cabins within minutes of Great Smoky Mountain National Park and family-friendly attractions in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
For more information, call (866) 347-6659 or visit one of the company’s web sites https://www.cabinsofthesmokymountains.com or https://www.cabinsofpigeonforge.com.
Billy Parris, Venture Resorts, https://www.cabinsofthesmokymountains.com, +1 (865) 277-1160, [email protected]
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