The massive Gatlinburg wildfires, which began in November, caused the deaths of 14 people, injured 175 others and destroyed homes and towns all around eastern Tennessee. Thanks for the good fact based, solid coverage of the events leading up to the fire. Special interest groups and other self serving human beings with other priorities cut budgets. All weekend, my husband and daughter followed the fire on the Chimney Tops 2 facebook page NPS had established. I hope the recordings werent pulled under threat of someones attorney or the DA. The fire broke out around 6:30 a.m. at the mall on the Parkway in downtown Gatlinburg. That afternoon a Chinook Type 1 helicopter (Type 1s are the largest helicopters used on wildfires) began dropping water on the fire, refilling at Fontana Lake 13 miles to the southwest, according to a source we talked to who didnt want their name disclosed because they were not authorized to speak on the subject. The forecasts are supposed to be detailed and customized predictions of the weather at a particular location, or spot, for at least the next two days. It is this same type of think tank and diversity we need in reaching a host of solutions to our complexity of problems both in this situation and in all others. If the defendants didnt ignite the 14th fire, who did and is this 14th fire under investigation? Those with information are urged to contact the Tennessee Arson Hotline at 1-800-762-3017 or the GFD at 865-436-5112. It was probably 4:45 by this time. Numerous photos show a dramatic increase in smoke in the downtown area between 5 and 5:30 pm. What good does it do to lynch those who are learning and gaining the very experience we expect and seek? GSMNP Facebook has pulled comments, photos, and replies as well in regard to the 14th fire. He asked them how or who we could contact to get emergency information. LeConte is going to be fine. Well I can say that if TEMA announced right now and emergency message to my cell phone in the east TN mountains I would never get a thing. The amount of dead Frazier fir and Spruce trees, caused by similar non-native infestation, is dramatic on Newfound Gap road, but mainly past The Chimneys at higher elevations. But there have also been many times when these so called experts were thrust into a different climate or situation and they too experienced failures. On the evening of the fire, I was monitoring tornadic storms across northern Mississippi because my family were driving to I picked them up and came back home with plans of bringing truck back over mountain and filling it up because it was near empty. This is a text book example of waiting for rain and not planning for WHAT IF! They decided instead to monitor and to identifyon a map areas for indirect containment lines which encompassed 410 acres. Where is his accountability? I think 6 days should have been plenty of time for them to do something we now see what inaction causes, dont we. From what I understand, the adelgid spreads from tree to tree via the ground, which is why young hemlocks with smooth bark are rarely infested with adelgid. Thats totally untrue.
Gatlinburg businesses look to rebuild after massive fire Things are changing slowly, and the human factors are unfortunately changing at a much slower pace than the climate and other socio-economic factors. It is very hard and slow to navigate through laurel stands and the thick Tennesee Barbed Wire Briar patches. There is only one check point access at East Parkway (Hwy. It would be interesting to understanding the impact of excessive fuel from dead hemlocks, killed by hemlock wooly adelgid (together with the lack of moisture typically found under a mature, live, shady hemlock canopy, even with the extreme drought conditions) had on this fire. Contractor will be on site this weekend with a subcontractor cleaning up my debris and really pouring my foundation and my logs will arrive within 15 days or more . Every business downtown was closed except for Bubba Gumps. So they were more concerned about NPS structures than our homes and lives? Contingency plans for how to evacuate the entire town, regardless of the specific hazard, were not well thought out. Many citizens whom I spoke with had never heard the terms red flag alert and in absence of the term, were not aware of the situations that would lead to such a designation or where to turn to find information on wildfires. In response to Jeanne in regard to Kelly Morgans comments: It is the duty of the American people to honor and respect and obey the Laws of the Land unless government becomes a dictatorship to basic rights and freedoms. I would like to know if the same two kids are also responsible for the first Chimney fire? Incident Mgt. For the availability of resources our local volunteer departments are doing a good job, but things are changing and we need to get out of the boxes we are in, and start critical thinking and creatively to meet the challenges of the future because they are rapidly descending upon us whether we like it or not. When we reached Turkey Nest Road there was a big white crewcab pickup truck parked in front of Barbaras Real Estate. (Originally published at 11:04 a.m. MST November 23 . time. Read more Tennessee Wildfire Cause: Gatlinburg Fires May Have Been Man-Made, Officials Claim is an article from: The Inquisitr News. They had the same weather forecast information. I love the mountains, but can I feel safe again? With the wildfires scattered across western N.C., we are lucky that, given parallel conditions of the wildfires that swept down the Chimney Tops into Gatlinburg ..i.e. Local folks here who have been involved with Park issues have an old saying about the NPS and their mismanagement of historic structures. Watch the pride and ego firefighters: youll never outmatch Gods elements. That said, it is always easier for those outside of the forest to see the big picture then those who are standing inside the trees down on the forest floor. of them backing up and saying this isnt our problem we are carrying on just like always. Officials keep repeating that nothing like this has ever happened here before so they cant be responsible. Our neighbors 3 doors down were outside near their car. Out of all the issues evolving around negligence and what could have been done, etc.
Gatlinburg fire burns downtown The American publics outcry owe that much to the those whom lost loved ones, disrupted lives, destroyed both human property and natural resources in Gatlinburg, Tennessee during the Chimney Top 2 wildfire, November, 2016. Many are willing to allow the absolute open permission to some to behave as they will without question, but are unwilling to allow others the same room to learn and grow. Yes, there is backside-covering going on. Easy for many of you to sit back and Monday morning quarterback when you dont have skin in the game as I did. It caused a shutdown . Some of the towns most impacted were Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, both near Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Gatlinburg businesses look to rebuild after massive fire. Drought, fall winds, fuel moistures that havent recovered in months, what part of this disaster was a surprise. This eventually will affect us all at some point in time, as we too may one day find ourselves faced with similar circumstance. From just across the Smokies in Bryson City, N.C./Swain county. It was about 11:30AM when we got to downtown Gatlinburg, where I took photos of the heavy on the Parkway in town. This Park Ranger was appointed to this position in December 2014 and he took office in February 2015, so in a span of one year and nine months he managed to let the place burn and we have owned property there for 32 years and nothing remotely like this has ever happened. Your are correct; and we all pray and hope for the community to get back on their feet again. This fire burned for almost a week, before it exploded into Gatlinburg. For the region, I hope fire officials do realize that regional history makes little difference if the right combination of factors exists for rapid and extreme fire growth. How far from the Chimney Tops, as the crow flies, were these pictures taken? Given the wind forecast, pre-evac notice should have gone out on Sunday, Monday morning at latest. On Friday, Gatlinburg city officials released a report detailing the downtown fire on Oct. 9. and last updated 4:48 AM, Apr 05, 2022. What did City officials not understand about the approaching danger?
Person killed in downtown Gatlinburg fire identified Though the drought and winds were undoubtedly an act of God (Psalms 148:8; 1st Kings 17:1), NPS and other officials were not left ignorant. However, to expect her to honor the NPS is inappropriate considering reality and her circumstances.
100-acre brush fire causes evacuations in Collier County Lets hope that this round regarding the fire and loss of life, it will be more difficult for officials to weasel out of this one. The report said the fire was an . Spirit Airlines . That is when it would have been prudent to announce a pre-evacuation notice for the Gatlinburg area to be ready to evacuate if an evacuation order is announced. I said a quick prayer for safety and we started up hill to leave our truck. Over 3000 wildfires received Initial Attack in November in the southern Appalachians, many of which were still very active when Chimney Tops 2 started. All three incidents have a common denominator. They have tied their hands and resources through environmental forestry management. I agree, this has many players to blame and starts with Superintendent Cassius Cash and trickles down to the City and County. The fire on Sunday caused extensive damage to a block of . According to Ms.Schroer, firefighters walked up the Chimney Tops Trail to the top of the hill to size it up. Instead simply took pictures on their phone, 3. I was in the area hiking November 21 and there was no smoke coming from the Chimneys area. Thats perfect Johnny. I may be alone in thinking that, but I do think the Feds would stand up to local influence. Im thankful to be tuned in. Deputy Park Superintendent Jordan Clayton said the initial fire on an area called Chimney Tops, a double peaked ridge line about 4 miles away from Gatlinburg, was caused by a person or. The wind remained at moderate strength on Wednesday with gusts decreasing from 37 at 3 a.m. to the lower teens by the end of the day. Guessing the fire spotted from the Chimneys, to Bullhead, then on to Twin Creeks area. Suppression actions, especially backfires, causing way more damage to natural resources than the wildfire is doing., First rule of any structure fire or wildfire. We could see the smoke. First of all I was very concerned when the wildfires started over in North Carolina, in some of the National Forest that border Great Smoky Mountain National Park. It is truly appreciated. True, our firefighters and 1st responders put their lives in harms way and we should respect them; and yet distinguish these folks from officials who are undoubtedly making bad calls/decisions. I am not one to Monday Morning Quarterback, because none of us have all the information and really we all have limited information, no one person knows it all; but as a citizen with background knowledge, experience, training, risk and situational awareness, the potential was clearly predictable days in advance of the aggressive action. The Cove Mountain weather station is 8 miles northwest of the origin of the Chimney Tops 2 Fire, 5 miles west of downtown Gatlinburg, and 3 miles west of the last known western edge of the fire. Hemlocks standout on aerial photos because the limbs grow in a spiral pattern around the tree. GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WVLT) - On Friday, Gatlinburg city officials released a report detailing the downtown fire on Oct. 9 that killed one person and injured another. Can we allow room for others to fail forward? An ongoing lawsuit against the National Park Service over its handling of the 2016 Gatlinburg Wildfire is on hold as a federal judge considers a motion to dismiss the suit. Fire-wanted or unwanted- is not a warm and fuzzy abstract thing it is often portrayed in todays media and society to play around with. It is unfortunate that in our society people who speak out with a loud voice, or otherwise make waves for the privileged, get not only scorned but categorically destroyed by well planned out and financed design, often full of cover-up and lies and then propaganda is feed to the rest of us, of which we often take for gospel, when in fact is often not based on evidence or fact. > Jeannine In my 40 years in the fire service (Calif and Alaska), I have seen an unfortunate number of cases where agencies in generaland the NPS in particulardesignate fires as monitored event(s) (insert favorite agency terminology here) that hours, or days, later explode into huge incidents. I responded that the climate is changing, and so are other related situations, and there will be. We need to question everything and everyone with the same tenacious veracity as the other, but we also need to allow for humans to be human, and engage in the process of learning. The notice went out to people within 10 miles of the fireline. Had this fire+wind storm happened 3-4 weeks earlier it would have been exponentially worse, lots to be thankful for as we morn with TN. Only 0.05 inch fell at the Indian Grave Remote Automatic Weather Station 18 miles west of the fire. Too often the only voice that is heard in our society is money and the more one has the more they are heard. WBIR is going to interview me as soon as two weeks from now regarding how I was taken for $120,000 by a crooked contractor that I was hooked up with by a log home firm.
National Park Service Supervisory Park Ranger (Protection) in Authorities have not identified the victim or . there is still a nagging question regarding the use of BACKFIRE on the part of the NPS and the Gatlinburg Fires? The NPS protected themselves and other special interest groups as well. The one thing I noticed over the fall was that the National Forest Service held themselves accountable, called in Incident Management Teams from all over the country with big wildfire experience and those teams got it done. I turned on tv to see if there were warnings of any sort. Thanks for the legwork. When you have an active, non controlled fire, an area in exceptional drought, late fall vegetative conditions, and southerly winds of 40 to 60 MPH forecasted, you do not need to be a nuclear physicist to realize the potential (probability) that a catastrophic fire event is right at your doorstep. I believe God was speaking to me early in the day on 28th and I am grateful for the ability He blessed me with to get out of Gatlinburg early.. Almost every creek drainage in GSMNP has stands of dead hemlocks (though some areas near roads had some hemlocks treated regularly to prevent adelgid infestation). Brush fires spread across multiple counties this afternoon in Southwest Florida due to high winds. Would be interesting to dig down to find the ash line (which is probably illegal on federal lands). However, when adequate risk analysis, proactive contingency planning and decision making, real time fire behavior simulations predicting possible disastrous outcomes, humans may have a much better chance of containing, or controlling, or herding, or managing or all-out suppressing an unwanted or unplanned ignition. Our world is complex and it is a system of interacting parts, we all need to start thinking more globally (meaning systemic and how each part interacts with the other) in our processes and understand how each choice, decision and action we take personally and as a group affect all the other parts. Those with information are urged to contact the Tennessee Arson Hotline at 1-800-762-3017 or the GFD at 865-436-5112. TEMA had the power and authority, yet did nothing until Hell was at their door. The fire did not get up the valley to the Alum Cave Parking Lot, and LeConte Lodge is fine. Late Monday afternoon the Gatlinburg Fire Department began informing some residents of a voluntary evacuation. At 10AM we drove to Sevierville to buy more materials (to eventually add to the bonfire). This is as far as this subject needs to go; for the objective of this site is in regard to wildfire. The status of individual structures in the Gatlinburg area can be found at arcgiscom. Down hemlocks are mostly just gone. Mr. Cash cant order an evac, but he could have made a recommendation. We spent Thanksgiving there with our family, who left on Sunday. Not because I am a teller of fortune. One thing Id add: the county is allowing residents that lost their home to use their existing block or poured foundation as long as they have one of their local cemetacious experts test it and approve it.
Death toll rises to 13 in Tennessee wildfires as grim search for People responsible during the initial stages of the Chimney Top 2 wildfire need to be held accountable for violating these basic rules of fire physicsperiod. High winds were to start soon and rain was 5 hours away as indicated by radar.
Tennessee firefighters find dead body in remains of Gatlinburg building This is how we all get better at what we do and are. As I learned in the first 12 hours what took place there, I realized that there was almost no preparation for the risk of a fire, on any They felt this was an attempt to start a forest fire and it was reported to officials. Bob called. The remains of 745 Main Street in Buffalo on Thursday, March 2, 2023., where a fire broke out on Wednesday . The Chimney Tops Trail led from the highway to the top of the hill. The timeline of when NPS requested additional help was unfortunately too late for help to arrive before the firestorm hit. If the Park Service had done there job in the first place and City and County leaders would have stepped in and done something this could and would have been prevented. I can only say that I had no peace at all whatsoever after the first word I heard of the terrible fire there .. Shelter locations could have been announced, especially encouraging people to take action during the daylight hours that day so that escaping in total darkness during an inferno of fire or not having the means to do so would not be forced on people, and they could make arrangements for their own safety. There are a lot of downed trees and a lot of trails are temporarily closed to deal with them. Vincent Gabrielle, Knoxville News Sentinel.
Remembering the Gatlinburg Wildfires five years later - WYMT I have here a firsthand account of how a homeowner, who lost her house, lived through the days before the fire and through the fire. One question I have not seen asked is why any adult would have witnessed children playing with matches and lighting fires especially under the obvious conditions in this situation and 1. not taken immediate action 2. It is so much easier to sit on the outside, pass judgement and sentencing in the name of accountability than it is to be involved in the event of vulnerability in action.