SEVIER COUNTY, Tenn. — After nearly a week of serving as an emergency shelter for those displaced by the Sevier County wildfires, a sense of normalcy has returned to the Pigeon Forge Community Center.
Jessica Fisher, an American Red Cross volunteer, reflects on helping people over the past several days.
"A lot of them were tourists, and all of their stuff was in the cabins. They don't know the area. It was just confusion; there was so much confusion," Fisher said.
Fisher is one of many volunteers from across the region who stepped in.
"People just want someone there with them. Hold your hand, give a hug," she said.
She knows firsthand the importance of being there for someone amid a tragedy.
"My house burned down when I was 16," she explained. "It's a traumatic experience. It happened early in the morning. We barely got out. We didn't have any kind of a plan."
Fisher said all she remembers from that day is one person's empathy.
"She said, 'I know that you don't know this now, but you will move past this and everything will be okay.' She sat with me for like two hours. It was such a horrible moment, and she was this bright spot that was right there."
Since then, Fisher has tried to find that Red Cross volunteer that made such a big impact on her, but she never could. Although that volunteer doesn't know it, she is the reason Fisher is now helping others experiencing the same thing she did all those years ago.
"As soon as I could, as soon as I got my babies up and I was able to, here I am. And I love it, every bit of it," Fisher said with tears in her eyes.
Fisher encourages everyone to have a fire escape plan ready.
Working smoke alarms can cut the risk of death from home fires in half, according to the American Red Cross.
The non-profit will be installing free smoke alarms in Knoxville's Cumberland Estates neighborhood on May 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
You can also request a free smoke alarm through the Red Cross website year-round no matter where you live.