Two juveniles have been charged with arson in the deadly wildfires that killed 14 and destroyed hundreds of structures in and around Tennessee's Great Smoky Mountains National Park, local law enforcement said Wednesday, according to dpa. "Our promise is that we will do our very best to help bring closure to those who have lost so much," Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) head Mark Gwynn said in announcing the aggravated arson charges. The TBI worked alongside the National Park Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Sevier County Sheriff's Office in the investigation. The blaze started in the final week of November and carried over into the first week of December, its rapid spread aided by drought conditions and strong winds. Hundreds of fire personnel fought the flames. More than 700 structures were lost, and 130 people injured. At its peak the conflagration encompassed a 70-square-kilometre area and caused the evacuation of more than 14,000 residents and tourists from nearby resort towns. Authorities called it the worst wildfire in the area for a century.
