KNOXVILLE President Barack Obama signed a disaster declaration Thursday, ordering federal funds be made available to victims of the fires that killed 14 and damaged or destroyed more than 2,400 structures in Gatlinburg and the surrounding Sevier County communities. Sevier County residents and business owners who sustained losses from wildfires during the period of Nov. 28 to Dec. 9 are eligible to receive federal funds, according to a news release from the White House.