The NPS protected themselves and other special interest groups as well. The park should have been begging for help and putting out warnings all week end!!! There are many many folks who even if cell service were functional could not afford it. We all contribute to this phenomenon if not intentionally but unintentionally, simply by the design of our brains! Not action to punish or lay blame, but to facilitate learning that changes actions. When we reached Turkey Nest Road there was a big white crewcab pickup truck parked in front of Barbaras Real Estate. This rain took much of the heat out of the vegetation fire and slowed the spread, but smoke from the burning structures in the communities and smouldering logs in the Park continued to fill the air. The blame is as simple as the nose on your face we have family that is firemen and friends that are and they too are trained in fighting fires and if they had contained it all of this wouldnt have happened. It was very low on gas and fully covered with insurance. 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. Not every fire manager gets the benefit of a meteorologist in your hip pocket, but there are many good weather websites available. Contingency plans for how to evacuate the entire town, regardless of the specific hazard, were not well thought out. Firefighting resources assigned to the fire include 25 hand crews, 61 engines, 6 helicopters, and 2 dozers, for a total 780 personnel. They are having a press conference this afternoon so perhaps there will be more transparency. In Gatlinburg, smoke and fire caused the mandatory evacuation of downtown and surrounding . 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 fire was approximately 8 acres in size, according to GRSM. The extremely dry conditions in the area, though, should have raised the concern level. Lots of fires getting controlled, crews pulling off and the new fuel falling and all back ablaze. Our house sat below the road about 30 feet. I think were all just going to come back and rebuild stronger than ever, he said. A friend that owns a rental company there said that about 90% of the homes in the area which leave them 10% they can rent or sale. Click here. they if you limit that to local staff might not have as much fire management experience as say Yosemite or Yellowstone. The People have been deceived with a vague and biased investigation regarding this particular bear incident. But if park management had been spending budget on fire management capabilities equal to those sites there would likely be criticism of that. Talk about finger pointing! Will there be an independent, non-federal agency, through,unbiased, unedited final incident management and serious accident investigation? Were here to rally and support those people until they can get back up on their feet, said Laura Rippetoe of the Gatlinburg Inn. Do arsonists typically work alone? I dont have the statistics to prove what you wrote is incorrect, but I am convinced that it is not a fact to say most of the fires that are monitored (as opposed to fully suppressed) escape outside the agencys borders. This eventually will affect us all at some point in time, as we too may one day find ourselves faced with similar circumstance. I convinced my husband to drive back toward our house to see if we could see the fire. We are excited to start new memories and get back on the trails. That factor is the density of residential development, layout of roads, and approved building materials present in that area. 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. Within a few days or week prior to this deadly fire I heard a local major Knoxville radio station broadcasting a satire bashing HRC, Obama, the Federal Government among a few other controversial things, and how the revolution has begun including the incitement of burning down the place, this Knoxville radio station followed this rant with songs whose lyrics tough-ted and instructed the starting of fires. 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). You may have a point regarding lawsuits, reported actions and actual actions. I later learned that Sevier County pays for an emergency notification system called Code Red Alert. The cause of the crash remains under investigation. Great info/synopsis of the Gatlinburg/Sevier county wildfires. On November 23 when the fire was discovered the KBDI was 599, Molly Schroer, a spokesperson for the IMT told us. I dont understand, but I dont judge. 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? For the availability of resources our local volunteer departments are doing a good job, but things are changing and we need to get out of the boxes we are in, and start critical thinking and creatively to meet the challenges of the future because they are rapidly descending upon us whether we like it or not. It goes for miles, Ive pushed as hard as I could straight down and only managed 1/10th mile an hour on the gps in a few such places. Henry, do you know the effect of the typical southeastern forest ground fires on the hemlock adelgid? Those with information are urged to contact the Tennessee Arson Hotline at 1-800-762-3017 or the GFD at 865-436-5112. On the map below, the fire is the small dot in the center surrounded by the yellow line. 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. Those with information are urged to contact the Tennessee Arson Hotline at 1-800-762-3017 or the GFD at 865-436-5112. The fire burned 38,000 acres of state managed conservation areas and private timber lands. GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) Firefighters have found a body in the remains of a building that burned in . He should loose his job and be prosecuted for this mess he created. I am sure the Alum Cave trail up Mt. We waited as the days passed until we could go and see if ours had burned. But the condition of the fuel was also important since it happenedduring what the National Weather Service (NWS) calls exceptional drought conditions. Those businesses were also protected from the fire. We looked at each other and I asked if we should leave or go back and try to use the water hose to protect the house. We would best not be blind until that time is upon us, as then it will be too late. The chain reaction that if un-inhibited can create the perfect storm, block the perfect solutions or that can lead to the ignition of possibility and opportunity. 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. 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. He wanted us to pack and leave. You bet you were. TEMA had the power and authority, yet did nothing until Hell was at their door. Three people were killed and 14 others sent to area hospitals, Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller said Tuesday. We have turned in a claim but still no word on a settlement. I remember a news conference 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. Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Gatlinburg Fire Department and Gatlinburg Police Department officials are investigating. 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. Kind of like closing the barn door after the cow gets out, dont you think? A voluntary evacuation should have been issued at least 36 hours before the fire exploded. 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. Waited a month to report this event and turn over the pictures they took to forestry officials! Kelly, Lloyd and anyone else that had home and/or businesses losses from the fire, tell everyone involved to write and/or call the governors office about what is going on. @wvlt pic.twitter.com/P7roVBCq8B. I told him I would call fire department in Gatlinburg across from Food City. 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. As we reached the Parkway, everything was deserted. Nonetheless, it is obvious to some folks that the NPS did not act aggressive enough on this fire. There was a tree down on road out but we were able to drive around it. The 2016 Gatlinburg wildfire was deadliest in the eastern half of the U.S. since the Great Fires of 1947 in Maine and the worst in the history of Great . But fires are getting nastier everywhere and folks keep saying past fire history isnt as good a guide as it used to be. 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. 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. 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.. Branson is built into the mountainous forests of south-central Missouri, is a resort town, and a retirement community and entertainment venue. We watched the news the rest of evening. Will we fail forward? High winds were to start soon and rain was 5 hours away as indicated by radar. For the most current information about the Chimney Tops 2 Fire at Gatlinburg, see our articles tagged Chimney 2 Fire. Property owners still have the rights to protect their property. Suddenly a fire truck from Harriman came careening around the corner and headed up Turkey Nest Road. 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. Multiple businesses were destroyed in the flames, totaling an estimated $7 million in damage. 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. Brought mine in from Texas. There could be traffic jams. GALLATIN, Tenn. (WTVF) Wildfires have ravaged Sevier County six years after deadly fires destroyed parts of Gatlinburg. Its community and people that have jobs. When I came out of dr. office, which is located on Middle Creek close to hospital, the atmosphere was eerie. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the GFD, Gatlinburg Police Department and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. 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. Lets look in the mirror before we are too quick to blame someone else. 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. One or two of those employees fall to their death because they shouldnt have been there in the first place. This would help the owners defray some costs so they can rebuild. What authority does NPS have outside GSMNP? Holding the responsible people accountable is the only course of action that honors what was lost. Lied too by Gatlinburg or Sevier County officials? Fires in the Great. 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 have a photo I took from the Walmart parking lot looking south that shows how smoky it was in Pigeon Forge. Even the courts of law no longer put as heavy weight on personal testimony, as so much has been proven to so easily be manipulated and affected by a host of factors. When I crawled my way up Pinecrest Drive to Wiley Oakley through dense smoke, I saw a Gatlinburg pumper at the top of the hill. Perhaps all the firefighters prior experience was giving them mental slides that were no longer valid given the conditions. 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. While I had the privilege is having dinner with the NPS director at a prescribed fire conference I am just a retired rx fire practitioner. 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. Maybe a second year of drought? This fire was supposedly set On November 23rd, we were hiking there on November 25th, they had the trail blocked off closer to the top of the Chimneys 2, however we made pictures of the fire and it and the picture shows the smoke going straight up in the air, no one was there and it didnt look like they had done anything to contain it. I wonder why? I did not rely on a fire weather service for my information even though I new where to look, I used much of the common everyday information available to the open community, the data I had learned from and observed during the short time of being in this area, and current observations. By the time the troops were called in, it was too late. They are just as clandestine of a secret society as the city officials of Gatlinburg and Sevier County. But there have also been many times when these so called experts were thrust into a different climate or situation and they too experienced failures. I am just saying that it is not necessary to lynch someone in order to hold them accountable. How many sorties could those planes do in an single day even if they had been deployed on Even Friday?? Im sure there will be lots of finger pointing, name calling pushing for blame and then legal actions. I asked my husband to go outside and hook up the water hose we had disconnected for winter. I know as I have been there many times due to security interests. Yet no one will be severely punished i.e. The Knox News timeline alone has enough info for several indictments. Of course Dollywood and Gatlinburg was virtually unscathed. That is when it began moving rapidly toward Gatlinburg. 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. The fire, which was reported at 6:39 a.m. Sunday in the 700 block of Parkway,. 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. 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. 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 . Even life-long locals said they had never seen rhododendren wither up before. Those with information are urged to contact the Tennessee Arson Hotline at 1-800-762-3017 or the GFD at 865-436-5112. Why the complacency? Yes, there is backside-covering going on. This truck was also filled with firefighters. Everyone should also know that this area is characterized by mountain laurel, in some areas nearby its so thick the only way through is on top it or if your lucky under on your belly. Brian Blanco/Getty. Behind the Chimneys is Sugarland Mountain. Rippetoe hopes the destruction isnt there much longer and all businesses lost can return. One thing I have learned is that the news media, especially in todays world is just as skilled and often benefits from pushing their own agendas as well. They got info from NPS about the fire spreading.

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