I heard a comment that people have the use common sense. There is much opportunity in the Eastern Appalachians to better prepare citizens, towns , leaders and firefighters; To create more fire aware and safe communities. milepost 316. Thanksgiving weekend is one of the 4 busiest weekends for Gatlinburg and the National Park. 1 dead in Anchorage home fire that officials say was likely caused by Thanks for the good fact based, solid coverage of the events leading up to the fire. All without the but why reflection, cause and effect analysis, drill down technique and the inter-relationship effect. Where is his accountability? Most of us feel there was negligence but sorting it all out is not something I know how to do. I am not holding my breath. Bob, I know where youre coming from. 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. A club . The body of a person has been found in the rubble of a fire in downtown Gatlinburg, our ABC affiliate WATE reported Monday. As a mountain boy who loves the harshest terrain even I couldnt imagine trying to run a fire line in this area. Nicely put together article. Not sure why it matters, but you offered such a specific time, thought I would offer info to possibly make it more accurate. 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. Some of the towns most impacted were Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, both near Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We had better see something besides suggestions for new warning systems and making people that are rebuilding their homes put in overly expensive sprinkler systems that way they can say to the press they made major strides and changes and they learned from the fire. I was truly astounded at how well coordinated the IMT teams are they cover it all, firelines, backburns, aircraft, field communications, weather forecast, community information via meetings/Facebook/Blog page/Twitter with daily updates, pre-evacuation notices when wind events were predicted. Great info/synopsis of the Gatlinburg/Sevier county wildfires. Rain began falling late Monday night and continued until 6 a.m. Tuesday, totaling 0.78 inch at Indian Grave. What caused the fire in the Smoky Mountains? 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. From just across the Smokies in Bryson City, N.C./Swain county. What Caused the Gatlinburg Fire of 2016? Here's the Real Story They didnt for one reason in my humble opinion: $$$ 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. The remains of 745 Main Street in Buffalo on Thursday, March 2, 2023., where a fire broke out on Wednesday . It is a truism that many people want all the benefits of government, but dont want to pay for them. 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. Id just like to ask folks to think about If prior experience of fires in the region may have betrayed fire managers this time. It is very hard and slow to navigate through laurel stands and the thick Tennesee Barbed Wire Briar patches. Their lack of extended skill training is apparent. The body of an unidentified person was found amid the rubble of a downtown section of buildings that. But it is good that you ask questions, and you should expect answers and a demonstration of learning, but you have to give that opportunity, just as you would want. Some of those GSMNP personnel were trained out west and know how fast a wildfire spreads in high winds. I certainly agree there are definitely consequences for our actions, for some more than others. Out east our experience is usually ground fire with relatively less risk of widespread destruction. The only way they will learn from the fire is if they have to face a jury of their peers to account for their ineptness even know they were in charge of protecting us and our homes and they did neither. 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. Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge wildfire evacuation information - WJBF Did the 14th fire discreetly burn in the duff amid rock cervices? Many times this tactic takes commitment of over a week. Our local congressional representative will be the first to confront the Park Service for numerous shortfalls, bias agendas that cater to special interest groups, and a host of other issues to where the NPS serves itself more so than the people. He had been experiencing the high winds back West all day and was alarmed at possibilities as well. Even this article seems to skirt around some of the issues and miss the depth of analysis it needs to effect meaningful change. 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. Local officials dont seem to learn from past experiences, nor plan well for possible dangers. Second, why not attempt water drops and fire retardant despite their reasoning it wouldnt do any good. Our neighbors 3 doors down were outside near their car. Hopefully all of those affected will be able to begin again. 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. Prayers for Gatlinburg - Fairborn Daily Herald Death toll rises to 13 in Tennessee wildfires as grim search for Millions of dollars will be spent recovering and mitigating the after effects of this human caused and exasperated wildfire. Damage was estimated at. Anyone can arm chair quarterback incident manager decisions after the smoke clears. No. Lied too by Gatlinburg or Sevier County officials? The winds were blowing from the Chimneys more down the mountain than up toward LeConte. Jeannines comments were spot on. However, an event such as the Gatlinburg fires undoubtedly leads to a can of worms that some folks would rather just sweep under the rug. I love the mountains, but can I feel safe again? Only we, the people, the voters, can force change by raising our collective voices by repeatedly demanding the governor and Congress take action now! I would suggest that you read over Bills articles on this site regarding NPS releases information about the Chimney Tops Fire 2 and Analysis of wind, vegetation, and air tankers before the fire burned into Gatlinburg. Rockslide on the Spur Gatlinburg Pigeon Forge - wate.com These so called means of helping people out is a lie. Case in point, the wildfires in Florida 1998, in which those experts were unaware of or underestimated the burning intensity of the Palm Oils from the Florida flora, which were as flammable liquid fires during those wildfires. Instead, the city ordered evacuation of the neighborhoods nearest the NPS day use area that was on fire (Mynatt Park and others). As we reached the Parkway, everything was deserted. wasnt blocked off since Mynatt Park was told to evacuate at 5:17. 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. Or in steep cliff terrain it just isnt going to happen, no one on the fire. Thank you for this excellent synopsis. 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. 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. Sandra, I agree. The timeline of when NPS requested additional help was unfortunately too late for help to arrive before the firestorm hit. Humans will never be able to control or suppress all unwanted fires-structure, chemical or wildland. I said at the time thatvwas crazy, evac. It's always sad to see the destructive forces of Mother Nature. Bob and Stanton snuck around back roads and made it in a few days earlier than most and found what we were fearing. It is very steep terrain, I would estimate about a 65 degree incline, but it is not easy to fall to your death there. It is my understanding this first fire was at or near the summit in the immediate vicinity of the 2nd fire which unfortunately devastated Gatlinburg. Any time our community suffers a great loss or devastation like this, it impacts everybody, she said. When maintenance employees with GRSM drove past the Chimney Tops 2 Fire early Mondaymorning they saw that the intensity and rate of spread of the fire had increased dramatically. Some may be pines, but the vast majority appear to be hemlocks. 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. It was considered a total loss after yesterdays fire. That said I have been an avid backpack or in hiker who has done probably every trail in the Smokies many times over. 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. Fire erupts on both side of Highway 441 between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tenn., Monday, Nov. 28, 2016. Many, if not most, of these incidents leave the confines of the managing agency and sweep out onto lands owned or managed by others. On Monday, 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 . According to FOX 5's Matthew Cappucci the smoke plume got to about 3,600 feet and . Were here to rally and support those people until they can get back up on their feet, said Laura Rippetoe of the Gatlinburg Inn. What makes one golden and one not? Of course they wont. This is the way to honor each other and to learn. Many, if not most, of these incidents leave the confines of the managing agency and sweep out onto lands owned or managed by others who had NO input into the original incident management strategy. City prosecutors have charged a longtime Mililani High School leader with multiple counts of theft. So far, this week's tragic Tennessee wildfires have caused at least seven deaths, injured at least 50 more, and damaged or destroyed over 700 structures, a good portion of them in the city of Gatlinburg. How many homes were lost in the Gatlinburg fire? All together this was the absolute worse place to have a fire at almost the worst time, save it was lucky to not have been a few weeks earlier. 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. The high winds were forecasted on the 25th, 2016. That is when I said to myself Where the hell is TEMA?. What is these adults had taken immediate action to correct and intervene in this unsafe behavior by children. An in depth investigation should be launched and the (ir)responsible parties identified. It predicted wind gusts out of the south Monday morning of 25 mph, increasing atnoonto30 mph and to 40 mph by 6 p.m. That is when it began moving rapidly toward Gatlinburg. Those people have their head in a hole, a burned out tree stump hole the very definition of ignore-ance. This year has been crazy, with so many fires happening in Autumn. The fire season last year set new records in the state for the expansive area that burned, with more than 4.2m acres (1.7m hectares) scorched by more than 9,900 fires across California. 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. 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. Thats totally untrue. From an all hazards POV large scale fire should have been recognized long before any drought conditions. It is important to look at many facets, evidence and root cause studies so that the issues can be resolved. I told him to go up and park in driveway close to where I wanted to leave the truck and that I would drive truck up. And on top of all that, they have teams that stay and clean up after the fires, repairing dozer and fire lines to reflect natural terrain, knocking down trees that would be a hazard to hikers and hunters, repairing the roads that heavy equipment damaged. The wildfires caused millions of dollars in damage. U.S. Park Service (again) and Thanksgiving. I was in my cabin on 28 November and barely made it out alive. Not to mention all the fallen limbs on the ground beneath them. Google and Bing maps give a pretty good idea of the expanse of dead hemlocks. That would mean your timeline of the last water drop would possibly vary 15-45 minutes depending on the helibase location and flight time to the dipsite. So my husband called the Gatlinburg policy department with the same questions and got the same answers. The identities of the three killed have not been released . By NPS rules a watch should have been kept on the fire overnight Sunday, but such did not happen. When one seriously examines the events, these lives could have been spared despite the power of fire and wind. Asked if I knew if there were any other people down in that area. I dont understand, but I dont judge. When peoples towns and lives are at stake, letting a fire burn or hoping to get lucky is a tough sell. It was so blatant and irresponsible of the media station to broadcast in this manner especially under the current circumstances. http://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/tennessee/2016/12/13/timeline-gatlinburg-wildfires/95138656/. > 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. To repeat what you have already said, people on the mountain especially Chalet Village north, no longer feel safe . Early in the afternoon we began to see large crewcab pickup trucks driving past our home. strong south, southwest winds, extreme drought, low humidity..ect.., that something similar didnt happen here. Investigators have determined that the fire was human-caused and are asking for information from anyone who has information about people or vehicles that were seen in the area that day. 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? Back home in West TN, when tornado warnings were active in a particular area there were loud sirens that went off. Once again, can fire discreetly smolder in the duff amid rock crevices? It was hard to drive because of falling leaves, branches, smoke, wind, and nerves. They are just as clandestine of a secret society as the city officials of Gatlinburg and Sevier County. I wish this would turn into the biggest Court case in history. One Person Dead After Downtown Gatlinburg Fire Sunday Concerning the time the fire jumped 441. The electricity goes out almost everytime there is a high wind. Bob headed our way. NPS officials are looking to avoid tort liability claims, plan & simple. Many structures were lost- thankfully no lives.
