St. Augustine woman narrowly escapes Tenn. mountain fire

UPDATE: St. Augustine woman shares her story with Action News Jax

A St. Augustine woman had to leave her car behind and run down a mountain after flames spread to her neighborhood near Gatlinburg.

Cathy Johnson Conner said she and another woman were at home in Wears Valley when the electricity went out.

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They had just gone outside to walk their dogs but the wind was strong so they decided to go to bed, Conner said on Facebook.

Then they got a phone call from their builder, who told them the mountain they were on had caught fire.

Conner said they got in the car and tried to drive down the mountain, but most of the homes in the neighborhood were on fire and the exit was blocked by flames.

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They left the car and started running down the mountain, Conner said. Three minutes after they fled the home, Conner said she got a text from her home security system that said the house was on fire.

Conner said they saw Wears Valley firefighters trying to help as they were fleeing the flames.

"I have so many emotions right now but most of all I thank God we are alive," Conner wrote on Facebook.

In all, 13 people were killed, about 85 were injured and nearly 1,000 homes and businesses were charred or destroyed in the fires near Gatlinburg.

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