need to know
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In the early morning hours of Friday, February 13, a fire broke out at SkyLand Ranch amusement park in Tennessee.
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According to the city of Sevierville, Tennessee, two large barns were destroyed in the incident.
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Nestled on 100 acres of farmland in the Great Smoky Mountains, the park offers a variety of rides and close encounters with miniature animals
A fire broke out at an amusement park in Tennessee early Friday morning.
According to a statement posted on Facebook by the Sevierville, Tennessee, city government, the incident was reported at approximately 2:20 a.m. local time on Friday, February 13. Officers with the Sevierville and Gatlinburg Police Departments discovered flames near the SkyLand Ranch amusement park. Other passers-by also reported seeing the fire, the statement said.
Minutes after receiving the initial report, members of the Sevierville Fire Department arrived on scene and found “two large barns on the property fully engulfed,” adding that “other smaller structures nearby were also damaged.”
Sevierville, Tennessee City Hall
Video shared by Chris Rogan with Storyful and obtained by People magazine shows a roller coaster illuminated by giant flames coming out of the park.
According to the SkyLand Ranch website, the park is located on a 100-acre farm in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. The park offers gondolas, a mountain coaster, a 300-foot swing tower, hayride safaris, and miniature animal experiences with horses, cows, pigs, goats, alpacas, sheep and more.
When firefighters arrived, they immediately moved some of the barn animals to safety. Authorities “contained two barn fires and focused efforts on extinguishing surrounding structures while protecting the animals.” Members of the Tennessee Department of Forestry also responded to mitigate the threat of woodland fires.
Sevierville, Tennessee City Hall
Crews will remain on scene throughout the day to “continue to inspect the fire and prevent it from spreading further into the wooded areas,” the post said.
The statement confirmed “no first responders or animals were injured during the fire.”
On the SkyLand Ranch Facebook page, they celebrated the work of the local authority.
“The animals are safe! No injuries!” they wrote. “Thank you to all the Sevierville and Sevier County fire and sheriff’s departments for their quick response and assistance this morning.”
SkyLand Ranch, the city of Sevierville and the Sevierville Fire Department have been contacted for more information.
Sevierville Fire Chief Matt Henderson told local outlet WBIR that the park owner is currently out of town.
He added that the animals were not housed in the burning barn, but were being kept in the park’s petting zoo area and being cared for by park staff. He confirmed the fire had caused the building housing the animals to lose heat, so extra heaters would be installed as cold was an issue.
Henderson also said there were no fires on the park’s roller coasters and cable cars.
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Henderson said because of the extent of the damage, if the barns didn’t collapse on themselves, they would have been torn down.
The cause of the fire has not been released.
Read the original article on People
