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notice should have been at 5-6 given the wind. I have an Gatlinburg address but the county services my street. Much needed rainfall is expected on Monday with additional rainfall possible through Wednesday. In Gatlinburg, smoke and fire caused the mandatory evacuation of downtown and surrounding . Me, like thousands of Buckeyes make the five-hour trek to Tennessee for family [] Not because I am a teller of fortune. 321) at Glades Road and the Post Office. Bats were roosting in the church rafters and dropping feces onto the pews. Those people have their head in a hole, a burned out tree stump hole the very definition of ignore-ance. Your are correct; and we all pray and hope for the community to get back on their feet again. A club . How did I know that? I wish this would turn into the biggest Court case in history. They had no sirens or Claxons blaring, no shouting to evacuate thru their grill mounted speakers. Lastly, I would after this last election year never ever put stake into social media as any sort of official news, witness accounts or other fact finding mission. GATLINBURG, Tennessee -- The charges have been dropped against two teens who were accused of starting the wildfires in Gatlinburg last fall. He had been experiencing the high winds back West all day and was alarmed at possibilities as well. It was also unbelievably dry. Once again, can fire discreetly smolder in the duff amid rock crevices? The report stated the roof started to collapse, and the building was deemed too unsafe to work inside. I agree, this has many players to blame and starts with Superintendent Cassius Cash and trickles down to the City and County. Thank you for this excellent synopsis. The fire, which was reported at 6:39 a.m. Sunday in the 700 block of Parkway, caused extensive damage to a block of businesses, the city's spokesperson said. 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 Even Congressman from east TN and western NC need to here it. We watched local news and weather forecasts. Were these simply copy cat arsonists, arsonists with the most ridiculous stories to offer for why they lit these fires, or were they just cover-ups for something more sinister? The next morning, the morning of 28th, I took boys to school and went to a dr. appointment in Sevierville. There could be traffic jams. What good does it do to lynch those who are learning and gaining the very experience we expect and seek? We got a text message. Gatlinburg fire 10/9/2022: One body found after Parkway blaze Spirit Airlines . We were wearing bandanas wrapped around our faces at this point. Who was responsible for Gatlinburg fire? I felt it urgent to get out of the woods. We were still asleep when it happened. I remember a news A day or so later where that fire chief of the Gatlinburg stated that they knew on Sunday that it was predicted the fire would hit Gatlinburg proper by 11 AM on Tuesday morning. However, to expect her to honor the NPS is inappropriate considering reality and her circumstances. Hopefully all of those affected will be able to begin again. Mike I appreciate what you said about a time and season for prescribed/monitored fire, and we need prescribed fire in the toolbox. But it is very important to point out that the fire that burned into Gatlinburg was never a prescribed fire. Jeanne: I do not disagree with your thought process regarding some of the broad challenges wildland fire mangers have faced in the past thirty some years. Our place was gone. Firefighting resources assigned to the fire include 25 hand crews, 61 engines, 6 helicopters, and 2 dozers, for a total 780 personnel. 119K views 4 months ago GATLINBURG Many people get worried when they hear the words Gatlinburg and Fire in the same sentence. Kind of like closing the barn door after the cow gets out, dont you think? Lets see what reviews done by people with expertise in wildland fire management come up with. Jim Renfro, the air quality specialist for GRSM, said the strongest wind gust recorded at Cove Mountain was 87 mph at 9 p.m. on Monday. Easy for many of you to sit back and Monday morning quarterback when you dont have skin in the game as I did. from Gburg. I believe that many, many people are alive now because they did use common sense but some of the people who died, were victims of circumstances that they should never have faced if their public officials had been acting solely on their responsibility, first and foremost, and perhaps only, to protect and serve. Lied too by Gatlinburg or Sevier County officials? Typos, let us know HERE, and specify which article. WTF were they letting the planes in Chattanooga sit idle? Once again: the questions remain unanswered. Visited Gatlinburg for the first time in Oct 2016. I told him there wasnt when I got there at 5 oclock but I could not even see driveways on the way up. People lost their lives and homes because no warnings!!! Remembering the Gatlinburg Wildfires five years later - WYMT For example politicians far away from the event make decisions regarding funding, resources and operations. The GSMNP PR person announced at 2:02 pm that fires were expected to grow over the next 8 hours with wind gust of 85 mph. they may be using too wide a brush to place blame. It is a sad state of affairs, the loss of life was quite avoidable. The remains of 745 Main Street in Buffalo on Thursday, March 2, 2023., where a fire broke out on Wednesday . Gatlinburg fatal fire investigation continues as crews demolish building They are just as clandestine of a secret society as the city officials of Gatlinburg and Sevier County. It was the hottest summer we ever felt. Nicely put together article. I was afraid to go into Park with boys. Now he has the benefit of another 60 to 90 days of another investigation before anything officially or otherwise will be said. The leaves that had hung on into late Fall because of lack of winds and rain for months began to rain from the trees in copious amounts and there were leaf funnels forming and it was hard as we ran from cabin to car loading Abram and Lady. The People have been deceived with a vague and biased investigation regarding this particular bear incident. It had burned into a picnic area and crossed the main roadinto the park, US Highway 441. My prayers are with all of you. While my husband tried to rake the leaves away more than once, they blew right back in. I felt like people had been robbed of the vital information they needed to make the decisions they needed to be safe. Sandra, I agree. and last updated 4:48 AM, Apr 05, 2022. This is a complicated incident where many lessons can be learned. Copyright 2022 WVLT. Officials will verify renters and lease holders, as needed. One or two of those employees fall to their death because they shouldnt have been there in the first place. There are other potential hazards that make unplanned evacuations a danger in that area. People need their jobs, and we all act based on the limited information, training and experience that we have and hopefully rely on others who have diverse backgrounds to supplement where we may lack. The radio conversation was fairly early in the day as I recall, maybe 7:30-8:00 am. Thats totally untrue. This would explain why they are all covering for each other. They have tied their hands and resources through environmental forestry management. Regarding the Chimney Tops Fire of Nov 14th, 2016, https://www.facebook.com/GreatSmokyMountainsNPS/posts/1236286613095333. Take care and hang in there. In wildfire-riddled Tennessee, climate change is a hot topic Shortly after he left, he called my husband to tell him that the road between our house and downtown Gatlinburg was blocked by a crew from Sevier County Electric. Perhaps a simple thing like calling for a Voluntary Evacuation from Noon on that day could have made the danger more obvious in light of the forecast for storm warnings with high winds for the afternoon and overnight. I phoned 911 and reported that the fire was approaching our home and that it was within a few feet of the city/park boundary. Sorry to hear that you lost your house, but you followed your wits which kept you from getting stuck there by downed trees over the road. Which is why human history keeps repeating itself over and over. The Incident Management Teams fighting fires in GA and NC gave pre-evac notices for people within 10 miles of the fire line each time a cold front with high winds approached. Thank you, Bill. Numerous photos show a dramatic increase in smoke in the downtown area between 5 and 5:30 pm. The report said the fire was an accident and caused around $7 million in damages. Lets look in the mirror before we are too quick to blame someone else. But outright blame? 1 dead in Anchorage home fire that officials say was likely caused by Im not saying IMTs are perfect (and no doubt there are background politics involved), but they sure appeared to do an awesome job coming to the situation with a big view and didnt hesitate to get the job done and keep the public informed. Bob and Stanton snuck around back roads and made it in a few days earlier than most and found what we were fearing. Jeannine, what an awesome, in-depth and thoughtful response. Over 130 sustained injuries, and 1,684 structures have been damaged or destroyed. Gatlinburg fire: Body found in blaze rubble, cause of fire under Whether it be a resources, financial, training, bias, discriminatory, knowledge, failure to support, equipment or other systemic, human, data or other failures; we often seek to put the blame on any one or a few of the workers when the real root of the problems lies in systemic, resource or other human interaction issues and decisions made by others seemingly unconnected to the immediate event. Gatlinburg Fire Cause: Who Started the Wildfire? | Heavy.com Anyone can arm chair quarterback incident manager decisions after the smoke clears. Death toll from Tenn. wildfires rises to 14 - CBS News You are among several Gatlinburg residents that posted local officials told them that everything was OK as late as 5:30 and there was no evacuation notice. Gatlinburg is in Sevier County. Thank you for your kind words and concern about our loss. It was extremely dark and small branches and twigs were pelting our car. LeConte is going to be fine. Why are there not more prescribed and controlled burns being conducted? In total GFD crews, in addition to, Pigeon Forge Fire Department, Sevierville Fire Department, Sevier County Ambulance Service and Pittman Center Fire Department assisted in extinguishing the blaze. There are three broad categories of conditions that affect the way a wildfire burns: weather, fuels (vegetation), and topography. There was two contributing factors to this disaster. Not action to punish or lay blame, but to facilitate learning that changes actions. By being so quick to lynch people we have created a fear of decision-making and a paralysis of critical thinking. Who will accuse and then fire then? IMT issued pre-evacuation notices in GA and NC each time they saw cold-front winds approaching that could would threaten communities. That said, we are now in the rebuild mode. I loved the area, the town, homes, everything. In a time in which the NPS and all other government agencies are under attack and certain factions are seeking to replace all our government agencies with private for profit industry I would not ignore the possibility of anything. From an all hazards POV large scale fire should have been recognized long before any drought conditions. The Park Superintendent did not want to risk the lives of NPS fire crews with the Chimney Tops Fire 2; and that is to be respected. The NPS protected themselves and other special interest groups as well. What about helicopters dumping water? On the radio, a man in the Forestry truck was somewhere around the Roaring Fork area (as I recall) looking for possible spot fires reported near a residence and was talking about the strong winds. Fire kills 1, destroys businesses in downtown Gatlinburg, Tenn CNN A wildfire burning near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Sevier County, Tennessee, has grown to more than 3,700 acres and impacted more than 100 structures, County Mayor Larry. We stopped at another neighbors house. At that time their were no burn permits or building permit requirements either. After the fact they called in helicopters to dump water on the fire which is what they should have done in the first place and didnt, WHY NOT? Bill, correct me if I am wrong, but aircraft should be on the ground a half hour after sunset? If we are so quick to remove those who are learning from their experience, successes and failures, do we not lessen the potential to create and benefit from more experts who will have more knowledge and wisdom to apply to future events? Their are undoubtedly many many causative factors for any disaster, even the actions, inactions and unintentional actions can be like a snowball rolling down a mountain of snow! Lets say the NPS put a crew on it day one in steep inaccessible terrain as they say it was in. They should not be excused because they did not escape the consequences this time of their lax policies and their actual failure to follow the procedures they should have followed. All three incidents have a common denominator. Conspiracy, no. Fire managers brought in resources from all over the country. Ive posted this type of questioning on other Wildfire Today articles. NPS can suppress the first fire; but not the second fire? If this is the same Bob Stanton commenting here, then the bias is way too obvious. Even if the new construction doesnt suffer from the eventual degradation of the old foundation, years after you have rebuilt and want to sell your cabin, due to prior disclosure malls when you tell a prospective buyer that your foundation went through the 100 year fire which burned your foundation at 1400 to 3000 F, only a fool would buy it. In my eyes, TEMA should have taken control of the situation and ordered evacuations before sunset. For almost 24 hours a day for 10 days or more, I read everything I could about Gatlinburg, and even found Wildfire Today during that Officials keep repeating that nothing like this has ever happened here before so they cant be responsible. 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. The Seiver County Medical Examiner's office identified the man as 54-year-old Joe Martin Bates, according to the City of Gatlinburg. If I had even been in the bathroom or downstairs I wouldve died . We would best not be blind until that time is upon us, as then it will be too late. Our house was in a direct N/S line from the Chimneys. Alice Hagler was reported missing by her family and later confirmed dead. They are having a press conference this afternoon so perhaps there will be more transparency. Officials say the road will be closed for an extended period. Even though I am located adjacent to the National Forest lands on 3 sides, I cannot invite them onto my property to help me lessen the fuel load proximal to my home. It is written by Stephanie Sweeney, whose house was off the Spur between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. They knew the high winds were coming days ahead of that Monday. An in depth investigation should be launched and the (ir)responsible parties identified. Birmingham City close training ground after fire causes damage It is very hard and slow to navigate through laurel stands and the thick Tennesee Barbed Wire Briar patches. GSMNP manager said he couldnt order an evacuation but he surely could have recommended one as the forecast for high winds was given early Sunday. High winds were to start soon and rain was 5 hours away as indicated by radar. Im hoping at this point, its going to be pretty quick. I understand the excellent point made in the article that history in the Smokies area would expect less of a problem than out West. Or in steep cliff terrain it just isnt going to happen, no one on the fire. If you take a hands off approach with minimal management and indirectly Play God look out. The remains of a business in Gatlinburg, Tenn., smolder on Nov. 29, after a devastating wildfire damaged or destroyed more than 2,000 buildings and killed at least 14 people. Tunica, MS, from our area near Kansas City, to arrive late evening, that day, in Tunica. A lot of chainsawing has been going on. I have a close friend on IMT in southern CO so have some familiarity with the process. 2 min read. When we got to the bottom of the mountain, we ran into the Sevier County Electric crew where the road was blocked. 100-acre brush fire causes evacuations in Collier County The report concluded that the fire was an accident; however, officials said the investigation was limited because the building was not structurally sound. Copyright 2022 WVLT. I am just saying that it is not necessary to lynch someone in order to hold them accountable. I was nervous about it. For reference, 600 or above would indicate severe drought andincreased wildfire occurrence. The fire ballooned to more than 17,000 acres when winds stronger than 80 miles per hour carried the fire down the mountain and through Gatlinburg and parts of Pigeon Forge Nov. 28. Ten people were hospitalized after a Spirit Airlines plane bound for Orlando, Florida, made an emergency landing in Jacksonville due to a fire onboard, according to officials. Beginningat 2 a.m. on Sunday November 27 the relative humidity at Indian Grave dropped,getting as low as 17 percent at 8 a.m. and then lingering in the 20s and 30s until 4 am on Monday November 28. One Person Dead After Downtown Gatlinburg Fire Sunday There are a lot of excellent experienced fire management staff working for the Park Service. Of course Dollywood and Gatlinburg was virtually unscathed. He asked them how or who we could contact to get emergency information. They had access to the same fire flight info from Sundays flyover that other agencies had. 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. strong south, southwest winds, extreme drought, low humidity..ect.., that something similar didnt happen here. At 2 a.m. Monday the wind speeds recorded at Indian Grave began increasing and the direction became more consistently out of the south and southwest. Situational awareness to current and predicted variables, as well as the potential of possibility is key. The Gatlinburg Space Needle fire (July 1992) In 1992, a fire destroyed Ripley's Gatlinburg Museum which was, at the time, located at the base of the needle. When enough folks dont take a vulnerable interest in situations and root out the evidence and real root causes to a situation, that is how cover-ups and lies live on, and the wrong people or wrong causes go unrooted. But I believe there is a fourth element of fire behavior prediction and that is the element of situational awareness. As they are minors, nothing else is known other than the Feds said the State could prosecute. It seems that not even people in western areas have learned that lesson very well, and now it is time for those with homes and property in the east to realize they are at risk too. Having said that, I used to work on an incident management team whose purpose was to manage what we called years ago, let burn fires. The more we let our selves be vulnerable and courageous in the face of tough situations, the more chance that we have that we will fall, and we will; we all will at some point if we take that risk to be brave and courageous. Narrowing it down to human-causes is easy for an investigator. I only lost my house, but someone has to speak the truth about what did/didnt happen that day/night. Death toll rises to 13 in Tennessee wildfires as grim search for One of the owners of the impacted businesses called a contractor to demolish a damaged portion of the building. Even life-long locals said they had never seen rhododendren wither up before. I was struck by the daunting task of creating a viable fire-prevention plan in that area of constant tourist turnover, and the way it is laid-out. Before the forest fires in the southeast this fall, I didnt know very much about wildfire fighting management (other than a bit from a mountain rescue EMT friend in Colorado and a friend that helps with prescribed burns for Georgia Conservancy). Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. Arson charges dropped against teens accused in deadly Gatlinburg - WJLA I doubt it as the experience there is of fast moving potentially devastating fires. They need to be accountable for their inaction, and action. I am like you in that I will never be able to get a good nights sleep on the mountain again as Im all be consistently looking out the window. Stanton wanted to go but I was afraid to for several reasons. It is good to question everything, all is not as it appears. Yet today June 5th, Sevier County still has their infamous gag order in effect more than 6 months later in the interests of prosecuting the trial of the murdurous kids. On Sunday when GSMNP called in helicopter water drops, there were 3 fire tanker planes sitting on the runway 20 minutes away in Chattanooga (covered in Wildfire Today). The 2016 Great Smoky Mountains wildfires, also known as the Gatlinburg wildfires, [1] were a complex of wildfires which began in late November 2016. 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 . Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Gatlinburg Fire Department and Gatlinburg Police Department officials are investigating. Unfortunately, Im not optimistic about the inter-agency review. The Incident Management Teams at Tellico, Rock Mountain and Joyce Kilmer/Slickrock fires had dead hemlocks near the trials knocked down (dynamite, cutting, other means theyre still working on it along the AT). I learned that it is extremely difficult to manage, rather than suppress, a wildland fire for an extended period of time. This appears to be the case once again. Just looking at media coverage on the evacuation order public messaging snafu points out that this fire will provide many lessons learned for future fire managers. Gatlinburg Fire 2016: How It Happened & the Aftermath - PigeonForge.com The steepness here is epic, the only way out of valleys this steep is straight down or up, your lucky not to hit a waterfall. Another example from my own experience which has been rocked by bias and blatant failure to receive appropriate support and assistance when asked for; causing issues to occur that were later simply blown way out of proportion with conspired lies in order to protect and cover up the real underlying issues and people. But until the review of the fire is complete and the report is published, I would be careful with a statement like this: The Chimney Tops fire was a wildfire being monitored given limited resources initially because of the many other ongoing fires in the region to which fire-fighting resources were committed. We have had dry conditions in years past and there has probably been fires in the past and nothing like this ever happened. Gatlinburg fire burns downtown