Dolly Parton 'heartbroken' for families affected by wildfires in home state

Country singer Dolly Parton has said she is heartbroken over wildfires that tore through the Tennessee county where she grew up.

Wildfires in the Great Smoky Mountains have spread through the tourist area of Gatlinburg destroying homes and buildings but Parton's Dollywood theme park has been spared.

Some 14,000 people have been forced to evacuate and three people have been killed and more than a dozen injured.

In a statement released by her publicists, Parton said she had been watching the "terrible fires".

"I am praying for all the families affected by the fire and the firefighters who are working so hard to keep everyone safe," Parton said.

In a video released just hours before the wildfires engulfed Gatlinburg and areas around Pigeon Forge, Parton urged people to prevent forest fires.

Appearing with advertising mascot Smokey Bear in the video released on Sunday, she warned: "This extended drought has resulted in high wildfire danger.

"Why don't you help firefighters keep the Smokys beautiful."

Dollywood officials said the theme park itself was not affected but more than a dozen cabins operated by the park were damaged or destroyed by the wildfires.

Parton is a native of Sevier County, Tennessee, which includes both Gatlinburg and nearby Pigeon Forge, according to historical documents on the park's website.

In the mid-1980s, she partnered with the Herschend family who ran the park, then known as Silver Dollar City. It opened under the new name of Dollywood in 1986.