Citing Unpredictable Winds, State Drops Charges Against Two Juveniles In Gatlinburg Wildfire

Blame the winds for the destructive wildfire that killed 14 people in Gatlinburg last fall.

That's according to the district attorney in Sevier County, who announced Friday that he has dropped charges against the two juveniles suspected of starting a fire in the nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The case was complicated by the fact that the original fire, called Chimney Tops II, started inside the national park. DA Jimmy Dunn said that, after some confusion, the Tennessee and U.S. attorney's offices decided it fell under federal jurisdiction, meaning he could not prosecute the suspects unless he could prove "that at least one element of criminal offense occurred outside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park."

Dunn's investigation found that a fire did start in the park on Nov. 23. But the Chimney Tops II fire jumped over to Gatlinburg four days later, and it wouldn't have done so without the unexpected, high-speed winds that occurred, he wrote in a statement.

Read more: http://nashvillepublicradio.org/post/citing-unpredictable-winds-state-drops-charges-against-two-juveniles-gatlinburg-wildfire