During an investigation, "information was developed that two juveniles allegedly started the fire," the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said in a news release.

A petition was filed Wednesday in juvenile court charging the juveniles with aggravated arson, the TBI said.

Both were taken into custody Wednesday morning and are being held at the Sevier County Juvenile Detention Center.

Additional charges "are being considered," District Attorney General Jimmy Dunn said at a news conference in Sevierville, Tennessee. "Everything is on the table."

The suspects are Tennessee residents, Dunn said. No additional information about the youths was made available, including their age and gender.

"I understand that you have a lot of questions," Dunn told reporters. "However, the law does not allow for the disclosure of additional information at this time."

He added that the juveniles could be tried as adults.

The "Chimney Tops 2" fire was first reported Nov. 23 in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Gatlinburg, according to the National Park Service. The wildfire exploded on Nov. 28, as massive walls of flames spread down the mountains into Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge with shocking speed, according to those who fled with little more than the clothes on their backs.

The fires that engulfed the two tourist towns outside the park and shut down one of the country's most popular natural attractions left more than 1,750 structures damaged or destroyed, most of them single-family residences. Additionally, thousands of wooded acres burned in the most-visited national park in the United States.

Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller called the devastation "unfathomable."

Although wind gusts exceeding 60 mph caused the disaster to explode in Sevier County, fires had been brewing for months in this region. More than 150,000 acres have been charred in the Southeast by large fires, according to the U.S. Forest Service, and nearly 4,000 firefighters have been called into action to fight blazes that keep popping up.

The wind carried the flames from the nearby Chimney Tops fire across ground parched by a historic drought and into the surrounding towns. The fire moved too fast and too far to contain. "This is a fire for the history books," Miller said last week. "The likes of this has never been seen here."

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, R, called the fire the state's worst in at least a century.

"To the residents of Sevier County: We stand with you and are committed to making sure justice is served in this case," TBI Director Mark Gwyn said at the news conference Wednesday.

He added: "Our promise is that we will do every effort to help bring closure to those who have lost so much."

The investigation, Gwyn said, is ongoing.

Gatlinburg, with a population of about 4,000 about 43 miles south of Knoxville, is surrounded on three sides by Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Smokies, part of the Appalachian mountain range, straddle the border between eastern Tennessee and North Carolina.

Considered the gateway town to the Tennessee side of the park, Gatlinburg draws more than 11 million visitors a year, according to tourism officials. It is known for its mountain chalets and ski lodge - drawing honeymooners and other visitors all year long.

Despite two days of heavy rains earlier this week, there are nearly 800 firefighters still battling the fires on the mountains. The fire is about 64 percent contained, authorities said Wednesday, and parts of the park remain closed.

But downtown Gatlinburg was spared, and property owners, business owners, renters and lease holders were allowed to return to full-time occupancy on Wednesday. The tourist destination is expected to reopen for business on Friday.

(c) 2016, The Washington Post  

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The Washington Post's Angela Fritz and Peter Holley contributed to this post