GATLINBURG – New information from the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance shows claims related to the wildfires in Sevier County total more than $842 million so far, a figure far higher than the $500 million damage estimate announced in the days following the fires.
Kevin Walters with the TDCI says there have been 3,947 claims from the fires, a figure that is also higher than the original estimate of more than 2,400 buildings damaged or destroyed. Walters says the information was compiled through claims data required to be submitted to the department that is then aggregated by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
“The heartbreaking damage sustained by Sevier County home and business owners as a result of the wildfires was staggering. The Department extends our deepest sympathies, again, to all those residents and visitors who were impacted by this devastation. I want to reassure consumers who are rebuilding that they can continue to count on the Department and our divisions to assist them through this process,” said Tennessee Commerce and Insurance Commissioner Julie Mix McPeak.
