Who Started The Gatlinburg Wildfire? 2 Juveniles Charged With Arson For Tennessee Wildfires That Killed 14

Two juveniles have been charged with aggravated arson in connection with a deadly Tennessee wildfire that began in late November and spread to Gatlinburg, authorities said Wednesday. The wildfires killed 14 people and injured nearly 150 others.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, local District Attorney General James Dunn and Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced the charges. Earlier, investigation revealed that "two juveniles allegedly started the fire.” Both were taken into custody Wednesday morning and are being held at the Sevier County Juvenile Detention Center.

The identities of the suspects have not been revealed as they are juveniles, Dunn said.

Dunn said the fire started Nov. 23 in the Chimney Tops area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and spread into Gatlinburg.

Katerina Mills, a 45-year-old who has been staying in a shelter since the wildfire started, told the Washington Post that though the suspected offenders were juveniles, she didn’t feel any sympathy for them.

“Age shouldn’t matter on something like this,” Mills said. “There were so many lives lost in this fire, due to this fire, and due to them being inconsiderate. There were so many lives lost. Animals’ lives lost. Humans’ lives lost. ”

The so-called Chimney Tops and Cobbly Nob fires engulfed more than 17,000 acres and 2,460 structures. More than 1,750 structures were damaged or destroyed in the fires.

Heavy rains in recent days helped contain much of the fire. As of Wednesday, the fire was 82 percent contained, fire officials reported.

"Even though the fire is not 100 percent contained, the areas opening to the public have been deemed safe," a report on the InciWeb website said.