Hopefully all of those affected will be able to begin again. It was a very horrible dream and I had qualms about my trip before I arrived in Branson. (Originally published at 11:04 a.m. MST November 23 . Why the Monday morning quarterbacks seems to always get it right, while those in the game make the errors and the scores, winning and losing. Thanks again for this forum. I was in the area hiking November 21 and there was no smoke coming from the Chimneys area. This fire burned for almost a week, before it exploded into Gatlinburg. All rights reserved. I had concerns about traffic once we got down there. Five days is a generous amount of time to request and receive firefighters. Published: Oct. 11, 2022 at 5:31 PM PDT GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WVLT) - Four downtown Gatlinburg businesses are picking up the pieces after a fire Sunday morning destroyed their building. http://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/tennessee/2016/12/13/timeline-gatlinburg-wildfires/95138656/. Jordans comments on the video indicates that their management was taking care to show how they were not responsible. I hear of those who didnt leave until 9:00 that night. I had these thoughts: if fire spreads from Chimney Tops and starts coming towards Gatlinburg, people are going to be getting gas and getting out. Second, why not attempt water drops and fire retardant despite their reasoning it wouldnt do any good. Its sad. 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. Remembering the Gatlinburg Wildfires five years later - WYMT They did too little, too late. It was pretty frightening. Hire an independent fire behavior consultant to assist in PLANNING and timely response if conditions appear to be coming into (fire) alignment. Not sure on how the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid infects our truly awesome and beautiful Hemlocks, but I do know that the Balsam Wooly Adelgid, the non-native insect that has helped to lay waste to the equally magnificent Fraser Fir forests such as found on the highest peaks Clingmans Dome, Mt. Gatlinburg Fire 2016: The Start. However, their findings could certainly implicate some of the decision makers concerning how things were handled and may lead to a few resignations. Only we, the people, the voters, can force change by raising our collective voices by repeatedly demanding the governor and Congress take action now! Humans lostfire won. 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. Oh thats right they did but it was after everything burned! The city said crews working the structure fire that . Mitchell, Mt. Council will utilize the 100s of wildfire experts testimony that the forresty service and local fire chief should have thrown everything they had at the Chimney 2 blaze the day it happened and everyone and every resource they could use from out of state that could get there within 24 hours. We drove west down the parkway. I think were all just going to come back and rebuild stronger than ever, he said. Death toll from Tenn. wildfires rises to 14 - CBS News Charges dropped against youths accused in Gatlinburg wildfires I may be alone in thinking that, but I do think the Feds would stand up to local influence. My husband stopped the car and the two men inside identified themselves as city water department employees. Circular holes in the ground spread around the forest floor for no apparent reason, no evidence in sight, no history of mining activity, most of the oldest living trees around the same height/age. There are a lot of downed trees and a lot of trails are temporarily closed to deal with them. It upset a lot of locals, but many lauded it. Many structures were lost- thankfully no lives. Tough questions like, Why did it take so long for community leaders to activate burn bans in spite of the extreme drought conditions, fuel loads, number of arson fires and the regional outbreak of fires, the social nature of this crime, and other related events. I looked at the NWS Forecast Discussion and told my sister They should order pre-evacuation before the wind gets strong.. They were taught with classroom didactic and hands on training, by sharing of lessons learned by others, and the best learning opportunity available, the best teacher of all; the actual experience itself. Did the 14th fire discreetly burn in the duff amid rock cervices? and see if he could get any information. Just like the mayor of Amity in Jaws, they were not about to evacuate the entire city on Thanksgiving weekend. They felt this was an attempt to start a forest fire and it was reported to officials. Just like the Mayor of Amity in Jaws. ), lack of knowledge of alternative communication systems (the Motorola area wide emergency radio system installed last year). We believed the firefighters were going to stop the fire from entering the city. When we reached Turkey Nest Road there was a big white crewcab pickup truck parked in front of Barbaras Real Estate. First rule of any structure fire or wildfire. The man at the Forestry base told him the winds were predicted to keep getting stronger and to be careful of falling limbs. Fire those managers! Special interest groups and other self serving human beings with other priorities cut budgets. There was much deadwood on the forest floor, including the Hemlocks and other species both down and standing dead. Sandra, I agree. All weekend, my husband and daughter followed the fire on the Chimney Tops 2 facebook page NPS had established. By definition, prescribed burning is described as fire applied in a knowledgeable manner to forest and grassland fuels on a specific land area under selected weather conditions to accomplish predetermined, well-defined management objectives, pg 2, http://www.southernfireexchange.org/etc/ITPFISE.pdf. I was in my cabin the night of the fire and if I had spotted it a minute or so after I did I would not be alive to type this right now. We were there on Thanksgiving week-end. The wind and the low visibility caused by the smoke made it impossible to fly aircraft over the fire. Even Congressman from east TN and western NC need to here it. Are they learning how to use it? Its always been this way so you have to watch who you deal with, this is why the City and County need to clean this up, this would bring down the prices of these people with signs up everywhere for clean up. Even life-long locals said they had never seen rhododendren wither up before. Did the fire have to be so devastating? I hope that EM officials and local planning officials reconsider what and how structures are rebuilt in that area. Visited Gatlinburg for the first time in Oct 2016. The winds that Monday afternoon had knocked power lines down and early reporting made mention of separate ignition points in the residential hillsides. Learning for the future is important if it includes changes in policy and procedure. 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 was Congress that adjourned for the holidays without passing a bill to fund forest fire fighting efforts. It was gorgeous -huge, huge trees, open forest floor, very dark, very cool, very moist. Gatlinburg fatal fire investigation continues as crews demolish building there is still a nagging question regarding the use of BACKFIRE on the part of the NPS and the Gatlinburg Fires? I repeat The NPS and the Fire Chief of Gatlinburg should have started fighting the Chimney Tops 2 fire aggressively the day it was discovered. I seriously question if bias will be discreetly worked into this agency and their review of the fire?? A voluntary evacuation should have been issued at least 36 hours before the fire exploded. Most of us are hopeful the two young man responsible for causing this fire will be severely punished however after all of the expert testimony to not only the Knoxville news Sentinel times what other periodicals claiming gross mishandling of the beginning of the Chimney Tops 2 fire by the forestry service as well as the Gatlinburg fire department I am certain that the Philadelphia lawyer that they have hired will use this in their defense and I would not bet that they will get a much lighter sentence as a result . Susan, In my eyes, TEMA should have taken control of the situation and ordered evacuations before sunset. 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. I am positive that for anyone who gives of themselves to protect and serve will forever be haunted by that far more than anyone of us can expect to hold them accountable by lynching. LeConte. For the most current information about the Chimney Tops 2 Fire at Gatlinburg, see our articles tagged Chimney 2 Fire. We stopped at another neighbors house. He asked them how or who we could contact to get emergency information. Hemlocks standout on aerial photos because the limbs grow in a spiral pattern around the tree. Any person involved in any sort of firefighting/fire ecology/fire control/fire management profession learns these basic fire physic scientific principals from day oneeither from formal training or through hands on fire behavior observations . I would also hope that we would figure out that such major climate disruptions as the recent drought in the Southeast are getting more common and that human action has helped cause, and can help cure, such disruptions. I can only hope that the actions are being undertaken somewhere and by the decision-makers and leaders to think and act differently. Thank you for your kind words and concern about our loss. To successfully allow a fire to burn for a long period of time requires VERY skilled personnel and luck. 1 Dead in Gatlinburg Fire That Affected Travel to Smokies One option could be helicopter fire repellers to repel into the fire and make an assessment of risk. The aptly named Fire Cherry, Beech and Mtn. 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. We have also come upon many campfires that tent campers and others thought or extinguished but were back to a full burn with not adequate fire breaking around it. 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. 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. 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. 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. the downtown fire on Oct. 9 that killed one person and injured another. 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. They had identifiedon a map a 410-acre fire management area which, depending on weather conditions, may allow for further fire growth. To echo your statements, the information is out there, a model exists on how to properly do it now its getting the proper training for all of the professionals involved and the public taking the role of accountability watchdogs. The notice went out to people within 10 miles of the fireline. 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). and last updated 4:48 AM, Apr 05, 2022. Stumps burned into the ground and look like volcano caldera. Id just like to ask folks to think about If prior experience of fires in the region may have betrayed fire managers this time. Thats perfect Johnny. Two Hawaii police departments are making moves to beef up incentives as recruiting efforts grow more competitive. 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. The DA in Sevier County has put a gag rule in effect since the get go to protect the teeneagers involved. Their inter-agency investigation needs to look at the 1st Chimney Tops Fire of the 12/13th to the 17th of November 2016. LeConte is going to be fine. They found plenty of resources when they realize they were going to be burning all the money making business is down on Monday. What caused the fire in the Smoky Mountains? He yelled at Bates to get out, and Bates did leave before coming back without the worker knowing. I dont know details as to the trail. 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. I realize some of my questioning is speculative and yet legitimate. I can hear it now, hasnt the NPS learned anything in the past 10-20 yrs? I told him I would call fire department in Gatlinburg across from Food City. What caused the Gatlinburg wildfire? - al.com NO managing wildfire is much more complex, especially in a multiple fire drought driven incident like managers were dealing with on this incident. Jeannine, its obvious that you write from the heart, and you write so well it is indeed inspirational. As it was, there had been brush fires burning in N Georgia and Western NC since October. Where is his accountability? Bill, correct me if I am wrong, but aircraft should be on the ground a half hour after sunset? Ive been told by others that they were waiting for the rain to move in based on the forecast and it didnt arrive when they expected so in the meantime they did nothing. Once the winds came on day 5 or 6, there was nothing anyone could do. 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. But until the awareness of possibility and the letting go of holding onto what we think we know to be the truth much will remain unchanged. This fire as did others around this time had highly predictable potential for massive and rapid spread. But fires are getting nastier everywhere and folks keep saying past fire history isnt as good a guide as it used to be. The remains of 745 Main Street in Buffalo on Thursday, March 2, 2023., where a fire broke out on Wednesday . Great job on this website, it is very informative and I recommend it to everyone in the business. As we drove south out of Pigeon Forge I took another photo before we entered the spur, which shows smoke and a red glow above Gatlinburg. The big, dead hemlocks are light grey with a circular limb pattern as viewed from the air. The 6pm and 7pm newscasts could have been leveraged by TEMA to order an evacuation then, before lines went down, power went out and cell towers on fire. The fire broke out around 6:30 a.m. at the mall on the Parkway in downtown Gatlinburg. The diff. Neddo said total shock is the only way to describe how he feels. Monday I was surprised to look at the Knoxville News and see nothing about evacuation notices. Suddenly a fire truck from Harriman came careening around the corner and headed up Turkey Nest Road. Copyright 2022 WVLT. 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. I keep up with what is going on nationwide and every time I hear about a monitored or let burn fire that escapes the maximum management area, I write about it. He asked them if they could give us an update on the fire and they said no. Wildland firefighters typically request Spot Weather Forecasts from the NWS for wildland fires or other events that can be greatly influenced by weather. November 27th, 35 acres. Some may be pines, but the vast majority appear to be hemlocks. Join our group. Its incredulous that evacuation didnt go out then. We are excited to start new memories and get back on the trails. Early in the afternoon we began to see large crewcab pickup trucks driving past our home. 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. The report said the fire was an accident and caused around $7 million in damages. I saw Wyoming and Colorado engines being demobalized after containment. Paddlers prepare to hit the water for the return of the Kualoa Hakipuu Canoe Festival, Former Mililani High athletic director indicted, Hawaii police departments offer big incentives as competition for new recruits heats up, Stroke survivor's specially-modified bike returned, Midday Newscast: City proposes $300 tax credit for those with homeowner's exemption, 'The Other Side of Paradise' with Lynn Kawano, KHNLPUBLICFILE@HAWAIINEWSNOW.COM (808) 847-3246, KGMBPUBLICFILE@HAWAIINEWSNOW.COM (808) 847-3246, KFVEPUBLICFILE@HAWAIINEWSNOW.COM (808) 847-3246, KSIXPUBLICFILE@HAWAIINEWSNOW.COM (808) 847-3246, KOGGPUBLICFILE@HAWAIINEWSNOW.COM (808) 847-3246. And I dont write about that many of them. Whatever happened to good old common sense decisions considering the drought, excessive fuels, and weather! Can fire experts examine burned areas and decipher the path of natural wildfire from managed ignited fires? OnMonday, December 5, the Incident Management Team (IMT) on the Chimney Tops 2 Fire that burned from Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM) into the Gatlinburg area reported that it has caused the deaths of 14people. A lady answered phone. With that said: were NPS officials aggressive enough in seriously emphasizing to Gatlinburg officials to start preparing for mandatory evacuations? I have to assume that the city of Gatlinburg felt that since my road was county property that I was on my own. The report said the fire was an accident and caused around $7 million in damages. What makes one golden and one not? The park should have been begging for help and putting out warnings all week end!!! 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 When I came out of dr. office, which is located on Middle Creek close to hospital, the atmosphere was eerie. The fire occurred in the Autumn after the deciduous trees had shed their leaves adding more fuel to the forest floor that was already abundant with desiccated leaves, twigs, dead branches, and logs that had been sucked dry of their moisture by the months of drought. The body of an unidentified person was found amid the rubble of a downtown section of buildings that. Will there be an independent, non-federal agency, through,unbiased, unedited final incident management and serious accident investigation? It is to be considered, but verified by other means. Contingency plans for how to evacuate the entire town, regardless of the specific hazard, were not well thought out. In fact, Monday afternoon several rental agencies were telling reservation customers to come on to Gatlinburg (news documented). Thanks! A fire burns at a high-rise building under construction in the Tsim Sha Tsui district in Hong Kong on March 3, 2023. level, in advance of this disaster had occured. So sometime during the night as we now know everything burned down. The Spur or US 441 runs between Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg in the Smokies. Local folks here who have been involved with Park issues have an old saying about the NPS and their mismanagement of historic structures. The lines between reality and virtual reality or fake reality are so blurred. Fire Tears Through Downtown Gatlinburg (TN) Mall; One Person Killed This time it is not firefighters but civilian deaths. Someone must have started the fire. Hindsight is 20/20 and of course much coulda woulda shoulda is understandable. For example politicians far away from the event make decisions regarding funding, resources and operations. Every business downtown was closed except for Bubba Gumps. I have my own opinion on what I would do if I ruled the world but I can guarantee you two people that would be looking for work very soon . The mayor and many fireman lost their homes and businesses, not to mention the deaths. Yes my house burnt along with 520 others in North Chalet Village, village no longer but all foundations. You are correct in pointing out the dead hemlocks. 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 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! The electricity goes out almost everytime there is a high wind. Now I am tasked with trying to motivate and coordinate the local fire departments much of who are volunteer, the state and national forest professionals to work with me and the community. Though once high winds hit, given the conditions there was no stopping the fire from destroying property. Digression from Comment Thread If you take a hands off approach with minimal management and indirectly Play God look out. Good incident managers welcome open discussion and critique to learn and improve for future incidents. Frederick County, MD tanker explosion leaves 1 dead; Shuts down part of I hope to remedy that starting now! We had no significant rain in 2 months!!! Was it ever fully suppressed? There isn't one specific cause behind the fires, Boyd said. These folks do this often in situations in which they have little control over much of the situation or outcomes. I was surprised that we saw no one at the closed Chimneys parking area early morning when we drove by. The cleaner told officials he found Bates in the room where the fire started and had what appeared to be a warming fire going. Analyzing the fire that burned into Gatlinburg - Wildfire Today Lose their jobs over this? Things dont change unless people stand up and make them change. The Tip Line is 888-653-0009. The fire, which was reported at 6:39 a.m. Sunday in the 700 block of Parkway,. It means they eliminated natural causes, such as lightning and volcano eruptions. 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. Numerous photos show a dramatic increase in smoke in the downtown area between 5 and 5:30 pm. Most events have a series of issues that contribute to the outcome, the more catastrophic the event the greater the number of contributing factors. As we reached the Parkway, everything was deserted.