State Fire Officials say that 2016 saw the highest number of fire deaths in seven years. 129 people died in Tennessee fires last year. That figure includes the 14 people killed in the Gatlinburg wildfires, but officially, those deaths have not been added to the state’s records as the investigations into the cause of those fires and those deaths are still underway. Officials say that the figures are high due to several deadly fires including the Gatlinburg wildfires and multiple fatality fires in Memphis, Nashville and Rutherford County. The National Fire Protection Association says that Tennessee is ranked sixth in the nation when it comes to its annual rate of unintentional fire deaths, despite a national reduction in fire death rates to an all-time low in 2015.