PTC couple die in Gatlinburg wildfire

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A retired Canadian couple who lived in Peachtree City were among the 14 people who died in the Gatlinburg, Tennessee fire.

John and Marilyn Tegler, both in their 70s, had been at their vacation home, close to Gatlinburg, celebrating the American Thanksgiving long weekend, their son-in-law said, according to the couple’s hometown newspaper, the Woodstock (Ontario) Sentinel.

“They were going to go back to Georgia for a few weeks and return for Christmas up here,” a relative told the Woodstock Sentinel. “It’s just a tragic end. They were together and they were in a place they liked to be.”

The Canadian couple had moved to Peachtree City two decades ago for John’s Tegler’s work. He was described as an avid golfer who worked as a corporate accountant. Marilyn Tegler had worked as an administrative assistant before she retired, according to Canadian news reports.

Two juveniles have been arrested and charged with arson for allegedly starting the fire that began on Nov. 23 and claimed the lives of 14 people and damaged or destroyed more than 2,400 buildings, according to news reports.