The death toll from wildfires that ravaged the Great Smoky Mountains has risen to 13, including a person who appears to have had a heart attack while fleeing the flames.
Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters announced the additional deaths during a news conference Friday. The mayor also raised the number of homes and businesses that were damaged to nearly 1,000.
Waters spoke as business owners and home owners were returning to the city of Gatlinburg for the first time since the wildfires began hitting the area Monday.