who caused the gatlinburg fires?

I am not convinced that all of what is considered to be the Chimney Tops 2 fire is. Regarding the Chimney Tops Fire of Nov 14th, 2016, https://www.facebook.com/GreatSmokyMountainsNPS/posts/1236286613095333. 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. Thanks for the good fact based, solid coverage of the events leading up to the fire. 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. Then the wind comes!!! But if park management had been spending budget on fire management capabilities equal to those sites there would likely be criticism of that. How the Historic Gatlinburg Fires Happened; a Humble Start - GovTech Former Gatlinburg fire chief reflects as new wildfires burn - WTVF As one who has had experience and ready mix, concrete block, pavers, and pre-cast, one would be a fool to rebuild on ANY existing foundation that came in contact with temperatures approaching 3,000F. Alice Hagler, who went missing at Chalet Village, was identified Wednesday night by her son Lyle Wood, who said his mother's body had been found "in the ruins of her home, her life taken by a. Those with information are urged to contact the Tennessee Arson Hotline at 1-800-762-3017 or the GFD at 865-436-5112. People in our country must get this, because for all the overwhelming issues in our country today, they keep voting many of the same politicians back into office over and over and over again expecting a different outcome. The winds were blowing from the Chimneys more down the mountain than up toward LeConte. The NPS, IMO, did not take an aggressive stance on this fire, and that is usually the case with them. A high-elevation area that possessed the largest unbroken Spruce-Fir forest in the S. Appalachians. One week before the fire, a backcountry ranger confronted people that had built a fire at Alum Cave Bluffs. 1 dead in Gatlinburg fire that affected travel to Smokies Its all in moderately dense forest that overhangs above the road. Over 3000 wildfires received Initial Attack in November in the southern Appalachians, many of which were still very active when Chimney Tops 2 started. I have a close friend on IMT in southern CO so have some familiarity with the process. The windspeed was 1 to 3 mph. Before we got in the car, we each took photos of the approaching fire with our cell phones. If they had taken action the day it started instead of now using the excuse of the rough terrain, yeah it is but so is most mountain areas. Some of those businesses told WVLT News they have a long road ahead as they wait on insurance adjustors to calculate their losses. It was as if time had passed with no motivational disaster to spur this awareness, at least not in my local community. As long as there are watchdogs for the truth such yourself, it will be hard to bury. 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. There were cliffs in the area but firefighting Hotshot Crews can figure out how to work on steep slopes, sometimes backing off a bit, constructing a fire line and intentionally burning the fuel in between, preventing further expansion of the fire. I later learned that Sevier County pays for an emergency notification system called Code Red Alert. Body found amid rubble of Sunday's major fire in Gatlinburg One other consideration relevant to some of the previous comments about the aggressiveness or lack thereof in dealing with the fire in the first few days is the context of other ongoing wildfires. Gatlinburg fire: Body found in blaze rubble, cause of fire under 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. The news person is very frustrated as she nor their rival Channel 8 can do no interviews due to the gag order. Accountability is important and paying the price for our decisions is too. I found this blog and am so grateful to have an opportunity to reply and also to become informed from experienced, caring people of service in the firefighting effort. 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. It seems to me that the extreme wind was as unprecedented as the drought and the low stream levels. Even so, is it risky to ignite backfire with such extreme fire conditions? I felt like people had been robbed of the vital information they needed to make the decisions they needed to be safe. The needle suffered extensive damage and was closed for three years. The smoke steadily became thicker as the days passed and friends were showing pictures of the Chimneys on fire. Yes, good points Jody. I only lost my house, but someone has to speak the truth about what did/didnt happen that day/night. At the big forest fires in NC and GA, where the federal incident management teams were located, the Incident teams ordered pre-evacuation prior to the arrival of a cold front when strong, gusty winds were forecast. But the condition of the fuel was also important since it happenedduring what the National Weather Service (NWS) calls exceptional drought conditions. Honor. LeConte. Anytime that one side seeks to destroy the other as opposed to actually raise the issues, I would raise a red flag and wonder what the distraction is really trying to hide! This country was founded on open respectful discussion, such as this which has occurred in this article commentary and blog comments. Period. The Chimney Tops Trail led from the highway to the top of the hill. I think wildland fire managers should be commended that this fire did not result in a tragic firefighter incident like Yarnell Hills. Fire those managers! The decisions that worked made us heroes, and those that did not changed us if we were allowed that opportunity. I was in my cabin on 28 November and barely made it out alive. We could smell smoke from the fires in NC for a month before the fire began on Chimney Tops. Dollywood flat out refused to even consider we needed any help and also tried to shame our neighbor to discourage home not to take it. Thanks for adding more good insight. Photos: Fire in Gatlinburg, Tennessee | Photo Galleries | herald I was on the Party Rock fire in NC and our IMET was predicting that storm event 3-4 days before it happened. 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. That should have been done over Thanksgiving! If the new location isnt in Gatlinburg, it will definitely be in Sevier County. Yes. That seems to be confirmation that the fire had crossed 441 early in the day. Copyright 2022 WVLT. Thanksgiving weekend is one of the 4 busiest weekends for Gatlinburg and the National Park. I told him I would call fire department in Gatlinburg across from Food City. Id just like to ask folks to think about If prior experience of fires in the region may have betrayed fire managers this time. Branches were hitting the house with a great deal of force. Who will accuse and then fire then? Sitting in a Sevierville motel room for four days watching the fire chief, city mayor, city manager, and county mayor pat each other on the back for being Mountain Strong sickened me. 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. Many times this tactic takes commitment of over a week. If an aircraft will be en route to a lit helibase or airport, they can drop 30 minutes after sunset then fly to the lit facility. 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. First rule of any structure fire or wildfire. Thats totally untrue. 2 min read. Yes my house burnt along with 520 others in North Chalet Village, village no longer but all foundations. If the NPS backfires were not ignited on the 28th; then they had to be ignited on the 27th a day before the fire broke out. I heard a comment that people have the use common sense. The miracle is that more people did not I was near Gatlinburg until Saturday prior to the fire, visiting my family. 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. They didnt and now its the property owners problem, they havent offered any clean up assistance, free dumping fees, no permit cost to rebuild, and certainly no financial help. 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. I am a property owner in the Lake of the Ozarks, in Missouri, and oddly enough, had just returned from a trip to Branson, Missouri. It is very hard and slow to navigate through laurel stands and the thick Tennesee Barbed Wire Briar patches. They couldnt get out a cell mssg. We could get blocked in by both. 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. 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. The forecasts from the 24th through the 26th did not predict the extreme weather that began Monday, November 28. Obviously spent no time in the military so they didnt know how to field dress A cigarette and pack it out. Gusts above 40 continued until 2 a.m. on Tuesday when they mostly dropped below 20 mph for the rest of the day. The lines between reality and virtual reality or fake reality are so blurred. Was the fire that inaccessible on foot? Hit it with all you have the Moment it breaks out.. That factor is the density of residential development, layout of roads, and approved building materials present in that area. This should not be a time to blame and inflame, but to think and act wisely. 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. Mitchell, Mt. Report: Gatlinburg fire caused $7 million in damages On Oct. 9, a woman who was working at the Ripleys Aquarium smelled smoke and walked up to 745 Parkway Suite 4 to investigate. I was nervous about it. Their chronological order of events doesnt match up with what some folks were observing posted on social media. I loved the area, the town, homes, everything. All rights reserved. Prescribed burning is a critical ecosystem management tool across the nation, especially in the Southeast (https://goodfires.org/how) and when the term is used interchangeably with monitored wildfires it can lead to confusion. The Chimney Tops 2 Fire was reported in Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Gatlinburg, TN at approximately 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 23, 2016. Five days is a generous amount of time to request and receive firefighters. It is important to look at many facets, evidence and root cause studies so that the issues can be resolved. In my opinion there is more blood on the hands of the NPS, Gatlinburg city and fire officials and Sevier County politicians than those kids. 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. They are having a press conference this afternoon so perhaps there will be more transparency. Its sad. None of our fires escaped, in part because we had some very smart, very experienced people in key positions. 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. What the fire victims need is non-biased experts to analyze the BACKFIRES that the NPS claims they ignited to protect NPS structures. The adelgid apparently needs the rougher bark of older trees to climb up the trunk to the greenery on which they feed. How Gatlinburg attempted to notify its residents to evacuate as the fire burned into the city, http://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/tennessee/2016/12/13/timeline-gatlinburg-wildfires/95138656/, http://www.southernfireexchange.org/etc/ITPFISE.pdf, Long bushfire season wears down firefighters in Queensland and Western Australia, Community near Heppner, Oregon first in Morrow County to earn Firewise designation, County Cork fire brigades work through the night on gorse fires, Renewed call for the Holy Grail of firefighter tracking, Hiker owes $300,000 for Arizona wildfire he started. For folks afflicted by this tragedy, emotions running high should be expected; and it is understandable for Kelly Morgan to be upset. 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). The report said the fire was an accident and caused around $7 million in damages. This goes all the way to our Congress and irresponsible, blind, budget cutting exercises. Birmingham City have had to close their training ground after a fire caused damage on Friday morning. The public cannot sit on their hands and expect anything to change. An expert, a hero or success is the one who takes a vulnerable risk at making a decision and by grace the outcome is positive, by contrast is the person who makes similar vulnerable risk in decision-making and by grace the outcome is negative. Yes, there had been many fires in the southeast during the 6 to 8 weeks before the fire started in Great Smoky Mountains NP, but it is my understanding that at that time they had diminished and there may have been significant firefighting resources available. China Bazaar, Puckers Sports Grill, Gifts of Gatlinburg, and Caf 420 were all deemed a complete loss. Downtown Gatlinburg fire: Experts identify remains found in rubble In turn, the IMT teams greatly appreciated the community support given by the effected areas, such as throwing a free Thanksgiving dinner for the thousands of fire fighters far away from their families. The coolness and the moisture were gone. I can only hope that the actions are being undertaken somewhere and by the decision-makers and leaders to think and act differently. It is no wonder that the people do not trust Government. The city said crews working the structure fire that . My vacation cabin in Gatlinburg burn to the ground on November 28. There are a lot of excellent experienced fire management staff working for the Park Service. I told him there wasnt when I got there at 5 oclock but I could not even see driveways on the way up. Those are low numbers for the southeastern United States. However, they are using a Super Tanker to douse the flames going on down there. GATLINBURG, Tennessee -- The charges have been dropped against two teens who were accused of starting the wildfires in Gatlinburg last fall. That doesnt mean excessive chainsaw mania; but it doesnt mean going to the other extreme with the type of forestry management in some of our Parks and other public lands. On November 11 some hikers found a fire built in the middle of the trail on brushy mountain trail. Here is one interview I gave to a Cincinnati station 2-3 days after the fire. During the investigation, fire officials interviewed a cleaner of Loco Burro who saw a person matching Bates description the morning of the fire. 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. 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. There will be no access to Wiley Oakley or Westgate from the Spur. 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. All without the but why reflection, cause and effect analysis, drill down technique and the inter-relationship effect. Im surprised Cherokee Orchard Rd. 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). On Wednesday, November 23, 2016 a hiker on the popular Chimney Tops Trail managed to capture a photo of two teenage boys dropping lit matches on the trail despite the current no-burn order in the area. Fires in the Great. How many sorties could those planes do in an single day even if they had been deployed on Even Friday?? Sweeney, to be honest weve never experienced circumstances quite like this. I thanked her, hung up and told Stanton to go load Ladys kennel. Did the 14th fire discreetly burn in the duff amid rock cervices? Will Lessons Learned fade into distant short-term US fire management history archives once again. Our house sat below the road about 30 feet. Very well said Tommy. All the guy in the truck told us was that they had dug a fire line and were told to wait here. Then another large red pickup came down from Turkey Nest Road and stopped in front of us. We do have insurance however based on the prices for clean up there it wont go far enough to build back. Unfortunately human lives were lost and hundreds of folks have been displaced. Regardless, the appropriate aerial assault should continue. Once again, can fire discreetly smolder in the duff amid rock crevices? 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 . Thank you for the timeline and the opportunity for comments. It is not a black and white world, not a this or that, it is all encompassing. Jeannine, its obvious that you write from the heart, and you write so well it is indeed inspirational. 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. Later it changed to a mandatory evacuation. The two juveniles who set a fire are not alone in this. When the fire started on Chimney Tops I thought surely the National Park Service would take necessary steps to put it out quickly because of the sure danger of it spreading. The fire was reported to be near the Twin Creeks Picnic Center at 1130. But. 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. This is as far as this subject needs to go; for the objective of this site is in regard to wildfire. We drove west down the parkway. Nearly five years. 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). I hope that the firefighters, leaders, and authorities in this area make sure to perform in depth After Action Reviews and make changes to avoid these issues in the future. Asked if I knew if there were any other people down in that area. As they are minors, nothing else is known other than the Feds said the State could prosecute. Officials said three people. I always come back to that groupthink mentality, the ladder of inference, the been there done that mode, the failure/fear to act, and thats how weve always done it thinking; all part of how our unconscious brain works without our conscious intervention and critical thinking skills. When we reached Turkey Nest Road there was a big white crewcab pickup truck parked in front of Barbaras Real Estate. Will the Firefighter Safety crutch of the last twenty plus years be the political linchpin to justify fire management strategy and tactics employed by the GSNP? Money. Citing the steep terrain and the safety of firefighters, fire managers at Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM) decided not to take direct action on the fire which would entail constructing fireline along the edge of the fire to remove the fuel that allows it to spread. I told her when she does mine about my rebuild and my crooked contractor I will speak plenty about the ineptness of the NPS and local fire officials. Branson is built into the mountainous forests of south-central Missouri, is a resort town, and a retirement community and entertainment venue. Then and only then will He let you effectively manage His creation that He has allowed you to be a part of for a short time. What were the emergency managers of this county doing/thinking at this time? When I built a home here just a few years ago and wanted to have a sprinkler system installed, I was told we dont have big wildfires here. 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. According to Ms.Schroer, firefighters walked up the Chimney Tops Trail to the top of the hill to size it up. They got info from NPS about the fire spreading. I also wanted to let everyone know that the City and County is an example of nepotism at its finest. They lost phone coverage but didnt activate the Motorola wide area radio system. They had no sirens or Claxons blaring, no shouting to evacuate thru their grill mounted speakers. With all due respect to your comment, you seem to be a bit condescending toward some folks asking very legitimate questions; and giving the impression you are trying to the get the heat off the back of NPS officials. 1 dead in Anchorage home fire that officials say was likely caused by Most of those people got out of the pre-evac zone just to be safe and watch the fire at a distance. It must have been Sunday, because a Type 1 team came in on Tuesday. Approximately 14,000 residents were originally forced to evacuate. ATF, other agencies search for cause of blaze that claimed life of How far from the Chimney Tops, as the crow flies, were these pictures taken? Though it will never be heard in our courts today, dont think the Almighty isnt going to bring it to Light; for human death was involved and the facts were dodged plan and simple. On Friday, Gatlinburg city officials released a report detailing the downtown fire on Oct. 9. What about firefighter safety? Questions are powerful tools, but only when we allow them to be asked, we receive them with an openness and willingness to be vulnerable, and seek to answer them openly and without fear of reprisal. Numerous photos show a dramatic increase in smoke in the downtown area between 5 and 5:30 pm. The city and the county has always been about one thing. What caused the Gatlinburg wildfire? She said I dont think its necessary for you to leave home with children and dog at this point. This article shows NPS was concerned by and notified of impending high winds. What is these adults had taken immediate action to correct and intervene in this unsafe behavior by children. At this time, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation officials were contacted, according to the report. A lot of personnel put forth heroic efforts to save lives and we should all be grateful for that. Above: The Drought Monitor issued November 29 showed Exceptional Drought, the highest category, for the Gatlinburg area and large sections of Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, and South Carolina. 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. Try to stay neutral I understand; but the NPS has a track record of avoiding accountability. I am hopeful that there are enough folks taking note of and keeping a watchful eye out for this situation, so that lies and cover-up will be vetted.