Two teens have been arrested for aggravated arson for setting off the fires in Tennessee that left at least 14 people dead over the past week.
The Tennessean newspaper reported that the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, District Attorney General James Dunn overseeing Sevier County, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park announced the charges at a conference on Wednesday. They face aggravated arson charges in the Chimney Tops area of Great Smoky Mountain National Park on Nov. 23.
Now, they’re being held in the juvenile detention center in Sevier County.
“Our promise is that we will do every effort to help bring closure to those who have lost so much,” Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director Mark Gwyn told AP.
State law prevents officials from releasing more information about the two juveniles.
Jimmy Dunn, 4th Judicial District attorney general, told USA Today that regarding charges against the two, “Everything is on the table.”
He refused to give any details about the teens, including their ages or genders. “They are not from Sevier County ... they are residents of Tennessee,” he told the paper.
“I mean, what if somebody came through their town, and set their town on fire, and lost their loved ones, and lost all their homes?” Karyssa Dalton, 19, whose grandmother Pamela Johnson remains missing, told AP. “It’s not fair.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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