Nearly 300 firefighters were on the ground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Wednesday to battle the Chimney Tops 2 Fire/NPS photo from Tuesday, November 29

Editor's note: This updates the death toll to seven, 700 confirmed structures lost, rainfall totals, details on firefighting efforts.

While nearly 2 inches of rain fell Wednesday on the Great Smoky Mountains, a conflagration that has claimed at least seven lives and destroyed 700 structures this week could still flare up without continued rainfall, officials said.

"The rainfall received today will only last for one to two days due to prolonged drought. Fire activity will increase until significant rainfall is received over several days," read a statement put out by the team now in charge of battling the Chimney Tops 2 Fire that started a week ago in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

"Indices used to predict fire danger were at or approaching all-time highs before the rainfall. These indices will start to move back towards the same level as before the fire over the next couple days if no rainfall is received."

Details on the seven fatalities were not immediately available, though all occurred outside the national park.

Fire bosses estimated the size of the blaze at 15,653 acres, of which just 10 percent was considered to be contained. Most of that acreage was in the park, though a firm figure was not immediately available Wednesday. Nearly 300 firefighters were on the lines, aided by seven helicopters, four bulldozers, and 22 engines.

“It was burning whole mountainsides, but primarily it was burning on the ground," Warren Bielenberg, a fire information officer, said Wednesday evening by phone. "Looking up on the ridges, there are some blackened ridges where you could see fire raced up the slopes … but the majority looks like it was on the ground.”

The fires that swept across the national park and into Gatlinburg, Tennessee, on Monday and Tuesday were not completely doused by the rainfall; in the national park the fire was "burning in brush, hardwood slash, and leaf litter," a release said.

Conditions had improved enough, though, for officials to lift a mandatory evacuation order for Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. However, there remained an evacuation order in effect Wednesday for most of Gatlinburg, the western gateway to the national park, and a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew also was ordered, according to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

Cradled in the park's namesake mountains, Gatlinburg was engulfed by a fire storm fueled by forests sapped of moisture by the worst drought in years and fanned by winds gusting above 80 mph. Officials reported that 700 structures, including 300 in Gatlinburg alone, were lost to the flames, and an estimated 14,000 people were ordered to leave the town on Tuesday.

While crews were able Wednesday morning to head out to assess damage and deal with any remaining hot spots, the rains falling on charred grounds were said to be spawning mud and rock slides and the Little Pigeon River looked almost at flood stage at times.

Inside the national park, a top-level National Park Service incident command team arrived Wednesday and set up operations to oversee the battle against the fire, which was determined to have been human caused.

Hampering the effort, though, was the loss of land-line phone service in the park as well as several cell towers that were knocked out by the fires. Also knocked off line were the park's two webcams, at Look Rock on the eastern side of the park and Purchase Knob on the western side.

A Facebook page had been set up specifically to provide the public with ongoing information about the fire. Additionally, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation established a hotline to coordinate reports of missing persons in the areas affected by the wildfires in East Tennessee.

Those wishing to report missing individuals believed to be in the affected areas of Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Wears Valley may contact 1-800-TBI-FIND. Callers should be prepared to relay as much identifying information as possible, including names, phone numbers, vehicle identification, and last known whereabouts. Recognizing the importance of accounting for individuals who may be missing, the TBI urges the public to refrain from calling to inquire about the status of personal properties in the affected areas.

On their Twitter feed, Great Smoky Mountains National Park staff reported that Cades Cove was untouched by the fires and was open to visitors. However, the staff added that, "Most other major TN areas of #GSMNP are closed. Best to see the park today on the NC side."

Roads that remained closed Wednesday morning included the Parson Branch Road, Newfound Gap Road, Cherokee Orchard, Roaring Fork and parts of Little River Road, the park reported.