SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. — Gatlinburg's devastating fire that left hundreds of homes and businesses significantly damaged or destroyed started on a blustery Monday night when embers from a wildfire on Chimney Tops Trail in Great Smoky Mountain National Park blew into the area.

The resulting flames swept through Gatlinburg, about 10 miles up the mountain from here, in less than 15 minutes, fanned by winds at speeds that approached 90 mph.

More people could be dead

Though officials have confirmed seven deaths as of Wednesday, many are worried about additional fatalities because several people still are missing. Debris and downed power lines have limited authorities' abilities to explore.

Among the missing are a 61-year-old Memphis couple, Jon and Janet Summers, who were separated from their three sons as they tried to escape the wildfire early Tuesday. The young men were found injured, transported to a Nashville hospital burn unit and are in critical but stable condition.

Several officials have said that the area is fortunate that the inferno didn't occur over Thanksgiving weekend when the number of visitors would have been higher. The Summers family was vacationing on an extended holiday.

Not all was destroyed

The flames that roared through Gatlinburg and nearby Pigeon Forge weren't all encompassing, fire officials said.

The Castle, an iconic home overlooking Gatlinburg, is almost all gone. So are several churches and Cupid's Chapel of Love wedding venue.

Officials surveying early damage said Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa, with more than 100 buildings, is likely entirely destroyed.

But Dollywood, the theme park of country-music legend Dolly Parton, was spared significant damage and will reopen Friday. Ober Gatlinburg ski resort said on its Facebook page that its properties and animals are OK, and Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies, whose caretakers had to abandon the building at the height of the fire, is intact and all of its animals are safe.

Rain won't douse all the flames

Portions of Sevier County, where Gatlinburg and nearby Pigeon Forge are located, received about a half inch of rain overnight Tuesday and are expected to get an additional inch or so Wednesday.

While the wet weather helps firefighters, the rain likely won't penetrate the piles of dry leaves and brush that have accumulated in the forest through the years, according to Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller.

Eight new fires already have erupted from hot spots and blowing embers between Tuesday and Wednesday, he said.

Forecasters are adding a new worry to the mix: flash flooding because a big downpour has a difficult time soaking into parched ground.

Gatlinburg is not the only fire

Though the Gatlinburg fire has been the most destructive in terms of loss of life and property damage, 19 wildfires were burning across six Southeast states Wednesday, U.S. Forest Service officials said.

Fires have consumed more than 15,000 acres of forest in the Great Smoky Mountains alone, officials estimate.

Eight new fires already have erupted from hot spots and blowing embers between Tuesday and Wednesday, he said.

Forecasters are adding a new worry to the mix: flash flooding because a big downpour has a difficult time soaking into parched ground.

Gatlinburg is not the only fire

Though the Gatlinburg fire has been the most destructive in terms of loss of life and property damage, 19 wildfires were burning across six Southeast states Wednesday, U.S. Forest Service officials said.

Fires have consumed more than 15,000 acres of forest in the Great Smoky Mountains alone, officials estimate.

Generally an average of two fires, caused by lightning, occur in the park each year, usually in May or June, National Park Service officials say. While the causes of many of the current fires are under investigation, many are believed to be caused by people, either as arson or by accident.

Between 1901 and when the national park was established in 1934, hundreds of thousands of trees in virgin forests were clear cut, leaving mostly brush and stubble behind. For most of the past 75 years or so, fire officials would put out the naturally occurring wildfires as forests regrew, so some areas have a lot of dead vegetation — potential fuel for wildfires.

You can help

Nationally, the American Red Cross is accepting donations at redcross.org/donate, or you can print a form and mail it to American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37839, Boone, Iowa 50037-0839. You also can sign up online to volunteer after the fires.

Kroger supermarkets in East and Middle Tennessee, northern Alabama and southern Kentucky are partnering with the Red Cross to collect money to provide aid to those affected by the fires. Kroger customers can add any amount they wish to their total purchase at time of checkout.

The amount of each tax-deductible donation will appear on the customer’s receipt as a contribution to the American Red Cross, and 100% of the money collected will be sent to the American Red Cross, Kroger officials said.

Contributing: Jody Callahan, David Royer, Kevin McKenzie, Kayleigh Skinner and Jennifer Biggs, The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal; WBIR-TV, Knoxville; Kristi L. Nelson, Knoxville News Sentinel; The Associated Press