However, when adequate risk analysis, proactive contingency planning and decision making, real time fire behavior simulations predicting possible disastrous outcomes, humans may have a much better chance of containing, or controlling, or herding, or managing or all-out suppressing an unwanted or unplanned ignition. The leafless trees allowed more sunlight to hit the fuel, drying it out even more. It upset a lot of locals, but many lauded it. Im hoping at this point, its going to be pretty quick. Would the apparent 24 hour plus monitoring bring into question a lack of response to suppress the fire considering the exceptional drought and excessive fuels? Drought, fall winds, fuel moistures that havent recovered in months, what part of this disaster was a surprise. 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. This story Im telling is all factual you see I have a problem with anyone exaggerating events as well as lying so I tell the truth regardless of how unpopular it may be. They are having a press conference this afternoon so perhaps there will be more transparency. Yet if no one raises cain about it, things will be rebuilt with no regard for such safety factors. Both east and west forks of the Pigeon River. It was Congress that adjourned for the holidays without passing a bill to fund forest fire fighting efforts. Personally, I have already started reconstruction on my cabin but the consensus on Chalet Village north which was 540 cabins and now stands only at 20 remaining Is that about 70% are not rebuilding for a variety of reasons . They had no sirens or Claxons blaring, no shouting to evacuate thru their grill mounted speakers. 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. Compare the events to their fire management manual and contradictions are present. All my constructive criticisms are not targeted to Park personnel in general. 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. It was considered a total loss after yesterdays fire. GATLINBURG, Tennessee -- The charges have been dropped against two teens who were accused of starting the wildfires in Gatlinburg last fall. I have an Gatlinburg address but the county services my street. Easy for many of you to sit back and Monday morning quarterback when you dont have skin in the game as I did. My boys and I do not have images of wildfires that we would have seen had we waited to leave home. I am a management specialist and I understand how to plan, and implement risk-protection and safety in many kinds of settings, to address various threats to people. What is these adults had taken immediate action to correct and intervene in this unsafe behavior by children. Even this article seems to skirt around some of the issues and miss the depth of analysis it needs to effect meaningful change. Prayers for Gatlinburg - Fairborn Daily Herald The timeline of when NPS requested additional help was unfortunately too late for help to arrive before the firestorm hit. Whomever is in charge locally for the NPS should also be summarily fired. You said in your post what I have been thinking. I went back a few years ago and it was completely different. GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) Firefighters have found a body in the remains of a building that burned in . It was very low on gas and fully covered with insurance. 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. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1477959465566642&id=100000578092120. 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. Would it be wise to implement backfire with such strong winds forecasted on top of exceptional drought and fuels? 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. This is as far as this subject needs to go; for the objective of this site is in regard to wildfire. Thanks again for your touching reply. The report said the fire was an accident and caused around $7 million in damages. I am in my late 60s and have never seen such a drought, or such low stream levels. That evening, GSM park officials tweeted that a 1.5 acre fire (Chimney Tops 2 fire) was burning in a steep location around the Chimneys. There are a lot of excellent experienced fire management staff working for the Park Service. Kind of like closing the barn door after the cow gets out, dont you think? The forecasts from the 24th through the 26th did not predict the extreme weather that began Monday, November 28. After action reports with ample opportunity for community input led to better pre-fire management and intra-agency coordination of resources. What the fire victims need is non-biased experts to analyze the BACKFIRES that the NPS claims they ignited to protect NPS structures. Why were there so many wildfires being lit by arsonists all of a sudden this year? If the superintendent of the Park Service couldnt see what the consequence could be then he was not qualified for the job and after reading his BIO he was never qualified and this is what we get. We warned them about the approaching fire before turning the opposite direction to proceed on downtown. I am rebuilding the home that was burned to the ground possibly due to negligence by local fire officials like many of Lincolns Union generals, did not have the will to fight . Gatlinburg fire: Body found in blaze rubble, cause of fire under How the Historic Gatlinburg Fires Happened; a Humble Start - GovTech It was so blatant and irresponsible of the media station to broadcast in this manner especially under the current circumstances. Excellent points, Jody. Love your neighbors, yes. I am not convinced that all of what is considered to be the Chimney Tops 2 fire is. Nearly five years. As a former FF, their claim that they could have never put it out if they tried from day one is BS. There will be legal repercussions because of incompetence. My family lives 15 mi. Our house sat below the road about 30 feet. So sometime during the night as we now know everything burned down. Gatlinburg businesses look to rebuild after massive fire Mitchell, Mt. In Gatlinburg, smoke and fire caused the mandatory evacuation of downtown and surrounding . About 20 years ago, I hiked to Albright Grove, an old-growth hemlock forest near Greenbrier. Anticipating the fire season, firefighting resources (people and equipment) were brought in from around the Southeast and other parts of the country. Downtown Gatlinburg fire: Experts identify remains found in rubble Many structures were lost- thankfully no lives. Screenshot from the Knox News video. So my husband called the Gatlinburg policy department with the same questions and got the same answers. Youve certainly added much food for thought. Bill, correct me if I am wrong, but aircraft should be on the ground a half hour after sunset? 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. Multiple businesses were destroyed in the flames, totaling an estimated $7 million in damage. Jim Renfro, the air quality specialist for GRSM, said the strongest wind gust recorded at Cove Mountain was 87 mph at 9 p.m. on Monday. A true lackadaisical response. The terrain was steep, a vertical distance of 1,300 feet from the bottom of the drainages to the top of the hill. I can hear it now, hasnt the NPS learned anything in the past 10-20 yrs? For now there is heartbreak and hindsight on the part of every one now. 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. What were the emergency managers of this county doing/thinking at this time? Yet no one will be severely punished i.e. According to the great gag order, government officials should not be commenting???? Do we need to learn from it. The remains of a business in Gatlinburg, Tenn., smolder on Nov. 29, after a devastating wildfire damaged or destroyed more than 2,000 buildings and killed at least 14 people. The Chimneys functionally act as the head of a canyon leading directly to downtown Gatlinburg. I said at the time thatvwas crazy, evac. No pre-evacuation notice was sent so citizens could be ready to depart. I am aware that in this area of the Eastern Appalachians, there are many retired firefighters and emergency personnel who would probably be willing partners in helping other regional professionals and volunteers in meeting the opportunities presented by a changing world. When we got to end of Beech Branch Rd., and turned onto Spur, there was no traffic but the winds were getting worse. 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. Neddo said total shock is the only way to describe how he feels. 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. 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 . One person was found dead in the rubble of a fire that broke out in downtown Gatlinburg early Sunday morning. 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. The report concluded that the fire was an accident; however, officials said the investigation was limited because the building was not structurally sound. I stopped him and said, Stanton, weve got to calm down and go slowly getting out of here so that we dont scare Abram and so that we can drive safely. I also noted that the use of Red Flag Alerts and prescribed burning around some of the more populace areas was both lacking, and being conducted during predicted high wind conditions. It took the governor to get the lack of evac into the open, as local gov was trying to keep it out of the press. Yet today June 5th, Sevier County still has their infamous gag order in effect more than 6 months later in the interests of prosecuting the trial of the murdurous kids. I think this is more often than not the case. During the investigation, fire officials interviewed a cleaner of Loco Burro who saw a person matching Bates description the morning of the fire. The two juveniles who set a fire are not alone in this. 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. Remembering the Gatlinburg Wildfires five years later - WYMT Report: Gatlinburg fire caused $7 million in damages Ill tell you why. There will be no access to Wiley Oakley or Westgate from the Spur. Later it changed to a mandatory evacuation. 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 . All without the but why reflection, cause and effect analysis, drill down technique and the inter-relationship effect. The use of smokejumpers could be part of the plan. 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. Bill thank you the excellent i sight and info that is hard to find publicly. It is a primary source and illuminates some of the discussion topics that have been on Wildfire Today. This truck was also filled with firefighters. I hope they can train more local governments how to handle big wildfire situations. I knew high winds were predicted for Gatlinburg by watching the weather channel. Much of the southeastern United States had been suffering extremely dry conditions for two to three months. That said, it is always easier for those outside of the forest to see the big picture then those who are standing inside the trees down on the forest floor. Once again: the questions remain unanswered. I fully understand the financial difficulties of the NPS and with firefighters abroad. Will some folks be held accountable for actions or non-actions related to this wildfire incident? At least that is my understanding. What makes one golden and one not? The next morning, the morning of 28th, I took boys to school and went to a dr. appointment in Sevierville. As a citizen with a firefighting background, I knew days ahead of time that high mountain winds were expected in the Eastern TN/NC Mountains, coupling that with the extreme drought conditions and the knowledge of the massive amount of ground fuel available in the forest based on being in the forest regularly even just days prior, outside observing the conditions and the terrain. 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. Virtually no one knows they have it and THEY DID NOT USE IT. Those businesses were also protected from the fire. They probably feel they are fortunate and safe because they will not speak out on the topic until the criminal charges are completed against the two youth that perpetrated this fire but they would be foolish to do so as time just continues to churn the anger. 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. If the new location isnt in Gatlinburg, it will definitely be in Sevier County. I am not one to Monday Morning Quarterback, because none of us have all the information and really we all have limited information, no one person knows it all; but as a citizen with background knowledge, experience, training, risk and situational awareness, the potential was clearly predictable days in advance of the aggressive action. I felt it urgent to get out of the woods. I realize some of my questioning is speculative and yet legitimate. How many have died in the gatlinburg forest fire? - JacAnswers Its hard to see. Still cant seem to get any answers if the BACKFIRES got out of control when the NPS ignited them contributing to the loss of life and structures in Gatlinburg??? 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. Be sure to bring valid forms of identification showing name and address of residence or business inside Gatlinburg. First rule of any structure fire or wildfire. Fire crews were dispatched to a structure fire around 6:30. He replied to me on Christmas Eve no less, that they were double checking all the facts to make sure all of their information was as accurate as possible and would keep digging. There are A lot of cheap seats in the arena filled with people who never venture onto the floor. The electricity goes out almost everytime there is a high wind. Due to the damage this fire has caused Im sure there will be follow-up effects (and recriminations) for years. Given enough time the clock will run out and the weather will either be in the fire mangers favor or WATCH OUT! The report stated the roof started to collapse, and the building was deemed too unsafe to work inside. Why did they wait until Monday to do a voluntary a evacuation or were the city father is involved in the decision not to panic the thousands and thousands of people still there for the Thanksgiving holiday. Our Gatlinburg Inn was built on family and community. Mother nature always bats last Sad chain of eventsonce again. I viewed aerial photos of that area over the past 10 years (on USGS website). I certainly agree there are definitely consequences for our actions, for some more than others. At the official Gatlinburg weather station recognized by the NWS 0.73 inch was recorded on Tuesday. 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. We stopped beside the truck and rolled down our window. 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. IMT issued pre-evacuation notices in GA and NC each time they saw cold-front winds approaching that could would threaten communities. 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. The fire could have been stopped over the weekend if proper procedures had been followed. Published: Dec. 24, 2022 at 10:17 AM PST GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WVLT) - On Friday, Gatlinburg city officials released a report detailing the downtown fire on Oct. 9 that killed one person and. Fire-wanted or unwanted- is not a warm and fuzzy abstract thing it is often portrayed in todays media and society to play around with. ), lack of knowledge of alternative communication systems (the Motorola area wide emergency radio system installed last year). 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 . I loved the area, the town, homes, everything. Since November 29 it has rained about every 2 to 3 daysin the Gatlinburg area. If youve ever been in an incident management role you understand often having made a good decision given the best information available at the time you dont get the outcome you want. Would be interesting to dig down to find the ash line (which is probably illegal on federal lands). Thank-you Bill for your through and in depth analysis of this wildfires chain-of events. Good incident managers welcome open discussion and critique to learn and improve for future incidents. Most excellently put, Jeannine (you are an exceptional writer). I said Fed. You cannot sit and watch a fire in the mountains this close to a town and not call in lots of HELP!!! Conspiracy, no. Those with information are urged to contact the Tennessee Arson Hotline at 1-800-762-3017 or the GFD at 865-436-5112. Report: Gatlinburg fire caused $7 million in damages. I told him my home was on fire and he said they were evacuating everyone,then. But the condition of the fuel was also important since it happenedduring what the National Weather Service (NWS) calls exceptional drought conditions. Emergency management should have been all over this from the very beginning. You forgot lack of funding to adequately staff the park. I told him there wasnt when I got there at 5 oclock but I could not even see driveways on the way up. This article shows NPS was concerned by and notified of impending high 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. Under ideal conditions they can temporarily slow the spread, which may be effective if firefighters on the ground can move in quickly totake advantage of the short termchange in fire behavior by constructing firelines, stopping the spread at that location. http://henryspoetry.blogspot.com/2016/12/cabin-on-creek-and-chimneys-top-2-fire.html, http://henryspoetry.blogspot.com/2016/12/great-chimney-tops-2-fire-science.html. In addition, the valley above Gatlinburg, drained by LeConte Creek, has had enormous numbers of dead hemlock standing and fallen. According to FOX 5's Matthew Cappucci the smoke plume got to about 3,600 feet and . This is one of the wettest areas in the entire US, and when you do not not receive a drop of rain for months on end, you know something bad is going to happen. Yet no one made a move. Some of the seemingly inexplicable burn patterns are due to the wind driven nature. 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. I have wanted to learn because I dont know enough to say much, but when I read your two posts about the loss of your cabin, and your escape, I felt I had to say, Im so sorry, to you, and probably speak for many many others who did not find this blog and find an avenue to learn, listen and to speak. In addition, officials confirmed that a firefighter was transported to the hospital with minor injuries from the fire but has since been released. I do not remember her name. Given the wind forecast, pre-evac notice should have gone out on Sunday, Monday morning at latest. We may never really know the truth about this situation just as with so many other current and prominent situations. Fire crews were dispatched to a structure fire around 6:30. The news person is very frustrated as she nor their rival Channel 8 can do no interviews due to the gag order. GATLINBURG, Tenn. ( WATE) A building destroyed by fire Sunday in downtown Gatlinburg has been torn down and the investigation into the cause continues. What caused the fire in the Smoky Mountains? I hope they end up being involved in the biggest lawsuit anyone has ever seen! I turned on tv to see if there were warnings of any sort. 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. 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.. Four downtown Gatlinburg businesses are picking up the pieces, after a fire Sunday morning destroyed their building. Unfortunately its the home owners that are taking the hit and I think it should be them. Gatlinburg Fire 2016: The Start. This eventually will affect us all at some point in time, as we too may one day find ourselves faced with similar circumstance. Thanksgiving Day Global Supertanker 747 is responding to wild fires in Israel. We do have insurance however based on the prices for clean up there it wont go far enough to build back. When you have an active, non controlled fire, an area in exceptional drought, late fall vegetative conditions, and southerly winds of 40 to 60 MPH forecasted, you do not need to be a nuclear physicist to realize the potential (probability) that a catastrophic fire event is right at your doorstep. Period. A guy in the red pickup rolled down his window and said You have to get out of here! My husband and I turned around, drove back to the Parkway and out the Spur to Pigeon Forge. Honor. How far from the Chimney Tops, as the crow flies, were these pictures taken? They are just as clandestine of a secret society as the city officials of Gatlinburg and Sevier County. That seems to be confirmation that the fire had crossed 441 early in the day. Lied too by Gatlinburg or Sevier County officials? with a notice that evacuation is imminent would have been prudent. Jordans comments on the video indicates that their management was taking care to show how they were not responsible. 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. 'Human caused' Tennessee wildfires kill seven near Dollywood park He had been experiencing the high winds back West all day and was alarmed at possibilities as well. Firefighting resources assigned to the fire include 25 hand crews, 61 engines, 6 helicopters, and 2 dozers, for a total 780 personnel. Needless to say one tanker run can drop more water than two helicopters can do in a full day. What really was going on here? One only has to imagine a single downed power line starting a structure fire at the same time the wildfire was approaching to understand how the great loss of property and life actually happened. Unusually dry conditions in eastern Tennessee spurred a ban on fires in the national park on Nov. 15. In late 2016, wildfires . (PETER PARKS/AFP via Getty Images) Chan estimated the insurance claim could . 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. Just like the Mayor of Amity in Jaws. I bet someone of you one here would sing a different tune if you loss a big chunk of your retirement because of someone incompetence. When I arrived in Branson at the hotel I was close to a fire exit, and frankly forgot about my nightmare. What is these adults had taken immediate action to correct and intervene in this unsafe behavior by children. We could see the smoke. This fire burned for almost a week, before it exploded into Gatlinburg. Millions of dollars will be spent recovering and mitigating the after effects of this human caused and exasperated wildfire. The coordination and communication of the Incident Management teams is impressive. I told him we would come pick him up in his car. 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 GSMNP officials were able dodge the negligence and management shortcomings of the 2000 fatal black bear attack in Elkmont as well as discrediting and slandering a former District Law Enforcement Ranger who was involved in the incident. 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. I cannot count how many times my wife or I would find a fire smoldering typically from someone who flipped a lit cigarette and the brush when they were finished. The official cause is down power lines due to high winds and fallen trees, according to a National Park Service news release. milepost 316. The age of information is both eye opening and scary, the potential for manipulation is astounding! But the NPS didnt even follow their own rules in this case. None of our fires escaped, in part because we had some very smart, very experienced people in key positions. When did Gatlinburg burn . Resident of Western Maryland. We, the public, have to be activists for our own safety, the very safety that public officials claim to protect. Well I can say that if TEMA announced right now and emergency message to my cell phone in the east TN mountains I would never get a thing. And each structure became much more of a threat than the spreading ground fire ever was. Cleanup continued Tuesday, with crews piling up rubble near Traffic Light 6 on the Gatlinburg Pkwy. I can only say that I had no peace at all whatsoever after the first word I heard of the terrible fire there .. I also wanted to let everyone know that the City and County is an example of nepotism at its finest. We drove west down the parkway. Not to mention all the fallen limbs on the ground beneath them. What did City officials not understand about the approaching danger? Yes, some the ridges connecting to chimney-tops had dead hemlock stands. Bob, I know where youre coming from. No one wanted the castrophe that resulted. Hire an independent fire behavior consultant to assist in PLANNING and timely response if conditions appear to be coming into (fire) alignment. Lots of fires getting controlled, crews pulling off and the new fuel falling and all back ablaze. 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. By 4:00PM the wind was getting stronger and we were not getting any updated information from local TV news. I saw Wyoming and Colorado engines being demobalized after containment. Their lack of extended skill training is apparent. Im surprised Cherokee Orchard Rd.
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