01:06 Gatlinburg Choked by Wildfire Smoke Gatlinburg, Tennessee is being choked by dense smoke from mountain wildfires. Meteorologist Danielle Banks gives an update.

At a Glance An evacuation was ordered for downtown Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and parts of Pigeon Forge Monday night.

Emergency officials say about 30 buildings have burned, including a 16-story hotel.

The National Guard was activated to assist in the evacuation efforts.

Residents in downtown Gatlinburg, Tennessee, were ordered to evacuate Monday night as a nearby wildfire in the Great Smoky Mountains quickly advanced on the area, burning several buildings.

The order came around 9 p.m. Monday and also included parts of Pigeon Forge and areas along the Spur , according to WATE.com. Just over an hour later, some 30 structures were on fire in Gatlinburg, including a 16-story hotel, emergency officials told the Associated Press.

Images on social media Monday afternoon showed the city under a dirty brown haze of smoke that blew in from the Chimney Tops fire as it blazed about 10 miles outside of the Gatlinburg city limits. Later in the day, however, those flames quickly moved toward the town and forced officials to evacuate hundreds of residents and vacationers from the popular tourist areas.

"We were just told by the Gatlinburg Fire Department that they had told everybody in Gatlinburg to get out ," Judy Tucker, director of Sevier County's E-911 call center, told the Knoxville News Sentinel. "... No one's getting through to anyone. Phones are ringing and not being answered anywhere. It's chaos."

Late Monday night, the National Guard was deployed to Gatlinburg to help with evacuations, WATE also reported. One injury has been reported by the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency , according to ABC News.

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"Fire officials report that fallen trees have sparked multiple fires from fallen power lines," Cindy Ogle, Gatlinburg city manager, told WATE. "Fire agencies from multiple agencies are responding to the area fires and I can’t express enough the city’s gratitude for the assistant with the National Park."

Gatlinburg was placed under a Level 3 state of emergency and residents were asked to stay off their cellphones unless it was for an emergency in order to keep the lines clear, according to an announcement from TEMA.

"If you're a person of prayer, we could use your prayers ," Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller said during a Monday morning press briefing, as reported by CNN.com.

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/twitter-karleerecreated-803292080839782400_0.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0" srcset="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/twitter-karleerecreated-803292080839782400_0.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 400w, https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/twitter-karleerecreated-803292080839782400_0.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 800w" > Downtown Gatlinburg is seen under a heavy blanket of smoke on Monday, Nov. 28, 2016. (KarleeRecreated/Twitter) (KarleeRecreated/Twitter)

Guests at the Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge were evacuated from nearby cabins , WATE said in a separate report, and crews were working to protect the park from the flames. As of late Monday night, no structures at Dollywood had been destroyed, according to a statement from the park.

Jon Erdman , weather.com meteorologist, said 30 to 40 mph winds from the south blew the smoke from the tops of the Smoky Mountains into Gatlinburg and Sevierville early Monday.

Erdman also noted that this has been the driest fall-to-date in 75 years of records in Gatlinburg. Prior to rainfall finally arriving Monday night, only 3.51 inches of rain had fallen since Sept. 1.

The fire has consumed at least 500 acres and is affecting the Chimney Tops and Bullhead Ridge area. Authorities say the wind has caused the fire to jump to different locations along the ridges.

Park officials told the Daily Times that the fire, which began Nov. 23, is likely the result of arson .

No deaths have been reported in the inferno. Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, both popular vacation destinations, are home to a combined 10,000 permanent residents.