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Charges dropped against teens accused of starting fire in Smoky Mountains

A charred bird cage sits in the smoldering remains of a home in the wake of a wildfire last November in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Thousands of people were evacuated because of the blaze.
By Bob D’Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
July 1, 2017

Prosecutors have dropped charges against two eastern Tennessee teenagers accused of  starting a fire in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park last November, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported.

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Defense attorney Gregory P. Isaacs argued that the prosecution was unable to prove that the two boys, ages 17 and 15, ignited the blaze that began in the national park and spread to Gatlinburg five days later.

“My client and the other juvenile, based on the proof and the evidence, did not cause the death and devastation in Gatlinburg,” Isaacs said during a news conference.

Jimmy Dunn, 4th Judicial District Attorney General, cited the “unprecedented, unexpected and unforeseeable wind event” that led to the spread of the fire to the Gatlinburg area after the Chimney Tops fire, the News Sentinel reported.

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Bob D’Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
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