This week marks six months since wildfires swept into the city of Gatlinburg. The fires damaged or destroyed nearly a thousand buildings in town and killed fourteen people. City manager Cindy Ogle spent the night of November 28 at an emergency command center. Her husband joined the thousands who fled the city. Their house burned.
Today, Ogle is a key figure in a lengthy recovery effort that has generated criticism and optimism. As the summer travel season begins and residents of Gatlinburg define the new normal, Ogle spoke with WUOT's Brandon Hollingsworth about where the city is, and what comes next.