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Compare the events to their fire management manual and contradictions are present. It was probably 4:45 by this time. I agree with you Bill that it isnt Most but whether it is a few or many isnt the point for me. However, firebe it a wildfire, structure fire, flammable liquid fire or a a bi-nine campfire does not care or worry about budget cuts, staffing issues, political agendas, experienced or inexperienced decision making or other human factors. They were in their driveway with a water hose. We have turned in a claim but still no word on a settlement. You have my utmost respect for firefighting; and Ive recently addressed a firefighter who was an apparent spokesman for the local media patty-caking. Wildland firefighters typically request Spot Weather Forecasts from the NWS for wildland fires or other events that can be greatly influenced by weather. Accusations were abundant. Ever since Hurricane Katrina, I have doubted the ability of our emergency managers to plan for any aspect of, or kind of disaster, and the fire in Gatlinburg only supports my concerns. Unfortunately, the good ole boy network, via the Sevier County DA, is trying to keep things in secret by cutting off all information after the the two teens were arrested, claiming such information could jeopordize the case against the teens. GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WVLT) - One person died and another was injured in a large fire in downtown Gatlinburg Sunday. I called Bob, boys and I got a bite to eat for supper so we wouldnt be a bother to our friends whose house we were going to wait out the evening. In addition, officials confirmed that a firefighter was transported to the hospital with minor injuries from the fire but has since been released. Some of those businesses told WVLT News they have a long road ahead as they wait on insurance adjustors to calculate their losses. When we got to the bottom of the mountain, we ran into the Sevier County Electric crew where the road was blocked. Teddy Roosevelt, who as you may know, was instrumental in establishing our national parks. They strive to their utmost and have a true passion working in GSMNP. I look forward to seeing the report when it comes out. Asked if I knew if there were any other people down in that area. So sometime during the night as we now know everything burned down. From my back ground in fire, safety and as a fire investigator I see the development of a chain of multiple, unusual and totally unexpected events leading up to final blowup. We stopped beside the truck and rolled down our window. Copyright 2022 WVLT. This fire season is a perfect example of why we do not need to lynch and discard those who have erred but gained highly valuable experience in the process. GATLINBURG, Tennessee -- The charges have been dropped against two teens who were accused of starting the wildfires in Gatlinburg last fall. Considering the record of wind gusts between 5-6pm and that the fire had jumped US 441, NPS calling Gburg Fire Dept. Narrowing it down to human-causes is easy for an investigator. Granted these fires werent inside Gatlinburg, but the fire chief knew full well the potential for catastrophic wildfires in these mountains. She has given me permission to share it on this site. http://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/tennessee/2016/12/13/timeline-gatlinburg-wildfires/95138656/. .. bless you all! Nonetheless, your observations on the 21st indicate that no signs of the 14th fire were present; and if the NPS did fully suppress the first fire, their timeline was undoubtedly non-aggressive to do so. Situational awareness to current and predicted variables, as well as the potential of possibility is key. Just a reminder to all, wildfires knows no boundaries, political beliefs, policy or management decisions just simple laws of physics and science from S-190: Basic Fire Behavior fuels, weather, topography and an ignition source plus extreme, well documented, long term drought conditions equals a recipe for conflagration, death and destruction. On Monday November 28 it recorded wind gusts in that part of the state at46 to 60 mph, and a 76 mph gust on Wednesday. When I came out of dr. office, which is located on Middle Creek close to hospital, the atmosphere was eerie. Hong Kong skyscraper fire could mean $64M payout, cause under investigation According to FOX 5's Matthew Cappucci the smoke plume got to about 3,600 feet and . We must open our eyes and ears and check behind each corner and crevice to see the reality and not just the story being told by a few. This is a text book example of waiting for rain and not planning for WHAT IF! State charges dropped in Gatlinburg fires - Smoky Mountain News One week before the fire, a backcountry ranger confronted people that had built a fire at Alum Cave Bluffs. Too old to start over, fear it could happen again and they could be in their home like I was, or out and out mistrust of local government. I think 6 days should have been plenty of time for them to do something we now see what inaction causes, dont we. Unusually dry conditions in eastern Tennessee spurred a ban on fires in the national park on Nov. 15. But if park management had been spending budget on fire management capabilities equal to those sites there would likely be criticism of that. Approximately 14,000 residents were originally forced to evacuate. I have been on both sides of that equation before and still real-ling from my own losses that will negatively affect me and my family for life, because no one took the time to question or look into the story presented to them by those authorities in charge. Birmingham City close training ground after fire causes damage I asked my husband to go outside and hook up the water hose we had disconnected for winter. There is an old saying he is known for: When government cannot accept criticism from the people, secular authority is no longer a democracy, but a dictatorship (paraphrased). 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.. I told him my home was on fire and he said they were evacuating everyone,then. But any land manager that expects to allow active spreading fire behavior for weeks or months is knowingly taking a risk that a wind event unpredictable weeks or months in advance will occur and change everything, sometimes with a very undesirable outcome. I hope the report gives the reason why the tanker planes were never called in since they are co-managed by the NFS and NPS. Death toll rises to 13 in Tennessee wildfires as grim search for Instead simply took pictures on their phone, 3. I told him we would come pick him up in his car. Pacific Buddhist Academy set to hold 17th annual Taiko Festival, the 14th annual Kualoa Hakipuu canoe festival back after a few years of kind of being shuttered because of the pandemic. They had no sirens or Claxons blaring, no shouting to evacuate thru their grill mounted speakers. There are other potential hazards that make unplanned evacuations a danger in that area. Our house sat below the road about 30 feet. Remembering the Gatlinburg Wildfires five years later - WBRC These people both the successful along with the ones who erred and experienced failure, courageously risked being vulnerable in order to help others. Once again the County and the City is sitting around twiddling their thumbs and doing nothing just like they did when the fire started and they could have contained it. 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. This openness which allows for both expression of feeling and diversity of thought and ideas will be what drives our ability to fix the complex issues we are faced with, and to grow as human individuals, groups and nations. We are emotional beings, we feel and we have the capability to think. I do remember the bad fires in the 1990s in Florida and Colorado (I was in Glenwood Springs at a week-long seminar only a week after the Storm King Mountain aka South Canyon fire). Visited Gatlinburg for the first time in Oct 2016. The news media started out just like the city news conference people leading people to believe the fire that burned everything occurred on November 28th, not true. 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. Here is one interview I gave to a Cincinnati station 2-3 days after the fire. Jody, you have said well what Ive wanted to say from my impressions made after the fire about this tragic situation. In this case, there were no firefighters in a position to take direct action. 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. The Chimney Tops 2 could be a good case in point. I spent two weeks in the area after the fire to inspect my property and ascertain where my wife and I would go from there. One or two of those employees fall to their death because they shouldnt have been there in the first place. Thank you for making a point of the fact that we are all human beings with faults by design so that we need each other to succeed and survive. Ash move in quickly after a fire, and through the yearly process of shedding their leaves, make it difficult for seeds from the Red Spruce/Fraser Fir/Hemlocks to make an effective seed-soil contact, thus when we lose one of these magnificent evergreen forests, it truly is a tragedy in more ways than one. It was a very horrible dream and I had qualms about my trip before I arrived in Branson. It is good to question everything, all is not as it appears. When you see more of them completely charred but living trees seemingly untouched that is a sign of both underground burning and how much water the living trees still possessed. Jeannine, what an awesome, in-depth and thoughtful response. Officials say the road will be closed for an extended period. The power of nature is awesome and often far beyond our ability to predict and react to in a timely manner. 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. Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new articles by email. I began to notice people smoking while driving their vehicles when I would be out and about and they would flick burning embers out windows and sometimes throw cigarettes out windows. Corker and Alexander know what would happen if they tried to interfere with a Federal prosecution! View Google or Bing aerial photos of the past year hundreds of dead trees with the tale-tell circular pattern of limbs stands out against the foliage. He had been experiencing the high winds back West all day and was alarmed at possibilities as well. Tommy Kirkland says: Not the best plan but the safest. We must as you say accept that humans are emotional beings and that goes for those who lost and those who stand to perhaps lose their jobs and livelihood often for making the best decisions they could with what was available to them at the time. Charges dropped against youths accused in Gatlinburg wildfires However, to expect her to honor the NPS is inappropriate considering reality and her circumstances. It was also unbelievably dry. Once again, can fire discreetly smolder in the duff amid rock crevices? No one wanted the castrophe that resulted. 1 dead in Gatlinburg fire that affected travel to Smokies It was gorgeous -huge, huge trees, open forest floor, very dark, very cool, very moist. This would help the owners defray some costs so they can rebuild. I hope to remedy that starting now! 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. Gusts above 40 continued until 2 a.m. on Tuesday when they mostly dropped below 20 mph for the rest of the day. Easy for many of you to sit back and Monday morning quarterback when you dont have skin in the game as I did. The fire broke out around 6:30 a.m. at the mall on the Parkway in downtown Gatlinburg. A map posted with the Fire Information sign dated November 27 showed that the park hoped to stopthe fire before it crossed the bottom of drainages on the west, north and east sides, and the Chimney Tops Trail to the south. Google and Bing maps give a pretty good idea of the expanse of dead hemlocks. 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. Many times, as has been thoroughly vetted during the analysis the Chimney Top 2 wildfire the ONLY option is an all out aggressive, throw the world at it initial attack from air, ground and sea. Thank you for your kind words and concern about our loss. 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 . It is likely that spotting did keep the ground fire spreading into the areas where the homes were, and certainly on the southern edge of town it was the primary ignition source, but I am still skeptical that the homes to the north of town were ignited that way. Lets see what reviews done by people with expertise in wildland fire management come up with. I know its good and natural periodically to let forest fires burn, but under the extreme drought conditions in this area, I was uneasy that fires werent being put out. GALLATIN, Tenn. (WTVF) Wildfires have ravaged Sevier County six years after deadly fires destroyed parts of Gatlinburg. But the pickup trucks I encountered were full of wildfire firefighters, inside the City of Gatlinburg. Can we allow room for others to fail forward? I get free speech, but if I yelled fire in a crowded theater when there was none and it contributed to death and injury I too would be held liable; my speech would not be protected! It caused a shutdown . If it was felt that people on this fire were at risk then dont staff the fire. Kids should be charged and pay a price but so do several officials in the good old boy still lives on in the town of Gatlinburg. On the evening of the fire, I was monitoring tornadic storms across northern Mississippi because my family were driving to By the time the troops were called in, it was too late. I hope they end up being involved in the biggest lawsuit anyone has ever seen! Stanton wanted to go but I was afraid to for several reasons. As citizens we should be aware of all threats we face and expect our leadership to plan ahead as best they can. This leads to continuation of the same issues over and over because the root of the problems are not being dealt with, and therefore it is just a matter of time before another failure occurs and someone else becomes the blamed one, totally ignoring the real issues. Limbs began to fall. Thanks for the legwork. There were and continue to be many deaths and fires that occurred in those western areas, and with those IMT expert Teams, that taught hard lessons, and enabled those people to gain experience and become the so called experts in the field. As we reached the Parkway, everything was deserted. All rights reserved. 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. My nightmare depicted more what happened in Gatlinburg than so far in Branson. Not to lay blame or punishment but as a real learning tool for improvement of service provision. Talk about finger pointing! I know as I have been there many times due to security interests. The NPS protected themselves and other special interest groups as well. As I reflect on the comments regarding this fire, the articles and analysis, as well as any instance of leadership, decision-making and accountability, I have to askHow is it that one gets experience? All those who have experience from saythe wildfires out west, were not born with it. Not clouding the issues with the intent to take down a person. Those people have their head in a hole, a burned out tree stump hole the very definition of ignore-ance. They found plenty of resources when they realize they were going to be burning all the money making business is down on Monday. Try to stay neutral I understand; but the NPS has a track record of avoiding accountability. I learned so much from the Incident Management Team websites for the various big fires in the mountains (Cohuttas, Joyce Kilmer, Standing Indian, Boteler, Tellico, Party Rock, Pinnacle Mountain). Yet no one made a move. I think that since its been brought to attention that nepotism shouldnt be involved in these positions because when it is you have people covering up, like a cat trying to cover up poop! This is how the devastating Gatlinburg wildfire erupted overnight By Angela Fritz November 29, 2016 at 1:06 p.m. EST Wildfires raging in the Tennessee resort towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon. Between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.they increased to 7 to 15 mph with gusts of 22 to 32 mph all generally out of the south, blowing toward Gatlinburg. Honor. The businesses include Cafe 420 . I have an Gatlinburg address but the county services my street. Ive noted the contrast between how the Incident Management Teams approached the fires compared to the NPS. I parked truck right beside a big mound of rip rap that Bob had dumped for lining the ditches on sides of our neighborhood roads, which arent through roads. Or in steep cliff terrain it just isnt going to happen, no one on the fire. But the condition of the fuel was also important since it happenedduring what the National Weather Service (NWS) calls exceptional drought conditions. time. The Gatlinburg fire chief should be FIRED. Will the NPS Fire Management leadership at the Regional, NIFC and Washington DC levels admit to some very poor policy and decision making problems associated with the Chimney Top 2 disaster? The helicopter worked until it had to refuel and then two other Type 1 helicopters took its placeuntil dark. Until theyre able to return, Neddo hates to see the Gatlinburg Parkway location gone, but he hopes the next place will be even better. Officials identified Robert A. Hejny, 63, who was found at Traveler's Motel in Gatlinburg. Of course they wont. Whatever happened to good old common sense decisions considering the drought, excessive fuels, and weather! Thank you, Bill. People that I know said that not implementing fire suppression is exactly what they should have done, so we can agree to disagree. My boys and I do not have images of wildfires that we would have seen had we waited to leave home. Excellent report Dr. Gabbert. I feel sad for everyone involved. This is just one more example of one more related issue that is seemingly un-connected until you delve into the issues deeply. The NPS investigation team has all this information and everything posted on Wildfire Today and a lot of info that was never made public. 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? The Knox News timeline alone has enough info for several indictments. One option could be helicopter fire repellers to repel into the fire and make an assessment of risk. I have an Gatlinburg address but the county services my street. So they were more concerned about NPS structures than our homes and lives? Thanks again for this forum. 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. There were ashes raining and that was very alarming to me. 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. According to a news release dated Nov. 25 from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Public Affairs Office, the fires started on Chimney Tops Trail a few miles south of Gatlinburg, off U.S. 441 . Experience in itself is never enough. Park Service has not issued any warnings and there are no active fires in Gatlinburg city limits. I ask her if they had plans of issuing a warning if evacuations became necessary and ask her how they would do that. LeConte. Every business downtown was closed except for Bubba Gumps. What authority does NPS have outside GSMNP? 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. The Gatlinburg fire that killed 14 people was started by two teenagers dropping lit matches onto the ground along Chimney Tops Trail in Great Smoky Mountain National Park, sources close to the investigation told the Knoxville News Sentinel. Chimney Tops 2 Fire - National Park Service A voluntary evacuation should have been issued at least 36 hours before the fire exploded. Sunset that day was at 5:21 p.m. which would have allowed them to drop on the fire until 5:51 p.m., 30 minutes after sunset. Guessing the fire spotted from the Chimneys, to Bullhead, then on to Twin Creeks area. With that all happening before lunch. Also I just came across a facebook page showing two views of the same interchange in Gatlinburg at 10:28 and 10:52. I wonder why? Some of the towns most impacted were Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, both near Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In fact, Monday afternoon several rental agencies were telling reservation customers to come on to Gatlinburg (news documented). When the Chimney Tops 2 Fire burned into Gatlinburg on November 28, 2016 and destroyed thosestructures it was drivenprimarily by weather specifically, very strong winds. He told me he was scared to drive the truck-its a lot more cumbersome in the local terrain than his little Outback. Fortunately, Wildfire Today and Knox News had both published detailed timelines about what happened and when, before the Sevier County DA cut off the info flow. It would appear that in the end it comes down to lack of adequate training, lack of adequate rehearsals (shouldnt they have known how to get messages out to the public via cell phone? It is a truism that many people want all the benefits of government, but dont want to pay for them. A good example of the kind of human factors that continue to get in the way of better preparedness and change for the good is the backlash in which one reporter from NC received when she asked tough questions of some officials. At least seven people have died and dozens have been hospitalized in wildfires in Tennessee that have ravaged a popular tourist town and forced thousands from their homes. There is room for all to be as important as the other, and hold all of these ideals up at the same time, to honor and to debate. I think this is more often than not the case. ATF, other agencies search for cause of blaze that claimed life of Buffalo firefighter. Other than the way the police were able to evacuate 4,000 people from Gatlinburg with little notice on Monday evening, everyone else involved did a very poor job. Like I said this is like so many tragic events, a chain reaction of events that all contributed to a disastrous outcome, because of actions and inactions that were not questioned or corrected at many steps of the way. I wish this would turn into the biggest Court case in history. Sevier County remains Smokies Strong 5 years after wildfires - WBIR.com National Park Service says never push a slower friend down when escaping a bear, Knoxville utilities crews work to restore power after intense storms, Missing elderly Knoxville woman last seen at hospital, police say, Vols drop to 5-seed in SEC Tournament after falling at Auburn, 79-70. fire Sunday morning destroyed their building. Firefighting resources assigned to the fire include 25 hand crews, 61 engines, 6 helicopters, and 2 dozers, for a total 780 personnel. 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. Frankly people should lose their jobs and fault should be placed on their shoulders. Massive Wildfire Engulfs Tennessee Resort Towns, Kills 3 and last updated 4:48 AM, Apr 05, 2022. Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge wildfire evacuation information - WJBF James, thank you for that compliment! When we reached our car at road level, we saw flames coming over the ridge directly south of our house. The main road out of Gatlinburg is the Spur, which is the 5 mile stretch of Park Service Road that lies between Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. From 7 p.m. until midnight sustained winds were at 13 to 17 mph with gusts from 34 to 49.