In the middle of a raging wildfire, Brian Minton drove his truck and horse trailer up a gravel road to transport a pony to safety. The trip was one of several Minton made evacuating horses from the wildfire sweeping through the Great Smoky Mountains and Sevier County, Tennessee, forcing evacuations at tourist destinations in Pigeon Force and Gatlinburg.

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency’s (TEMA) website indicates that wildfires fueled by the effects of a persistent drought developed in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Nov. 23. By Nov. 28, TEMA warned Sevier County residents to prepare evacuate. That evening, the so-called Chimney Top Fire forced mandatory evacuations for people in Sevier County, including tourist destinations Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, home of the Dollywood resort and theme park. All told, more than 14,000 residents and visitors were expected to be evacuated from the Gatlinburg area alone, the website said.

Dollywood spokesman Pete Owens was unavailable to comment on where the 32 horses used by the park’s Dixie Stampede had been relocated ahead of the fire.

Meanwhile, at 6 p.m., on Monday, Minton began hauling horses out of the fire’s path, mostly to destinations that the animals’ owners had previously arraigned. Each trip was complicated, Minton said