Unfortunately, the good ole boy network, via the Sevier County DA, is trying to keep things in secret by cutting off all information after the the two teens were arrested, claiming such information could jeopordize the case against the teens. Gatlinburg businesses look to rebuild after massive fire Fires in the Great. Branches were hitting the house with a great deal of force. I may be alone in thinking that, but I do think the Feds would stand up to local influence. The report stated the roof started to collapse, and the building was deemed too unsafe to work inside. You are correct in pointing out the dead hemlocks. No one wanted the castrophe that resulted. What authority does NPS have outside GSMNP? 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. Second, why not attempt water drops and fire retardant despite their reasoning it wouldnt do any good. The reason that is a point is IMT has experience far beyond any fire teams in east TN or GSMNP, especially with wind-driven wildfires. On the night before I left for Branson, I had terrible nightmares of being caught in a forest fire in Branson. People who live in forested areas need to be aware of fire danger. SOURCE Like this: Loading. I told him my home was on fire and he said they were evacuating everyone,then. I can only hope that the actions are being undertaken somewhere and by the decision-makers and leaders to think and act differently. It was so blatant and irresponsible of the media station to broadcast in this manner especially under the current circumstances. Our house sat below the road about 30 feet. The city said crews working the structure fire that . 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. 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. Yet no one made a move. What is these adults had taken immediate action to correct and intervene in this unsafe behavior by children. A safefy plan for people in the event of the many natural threats, would have to be determined ahead of time though because that level of decision-making rarely occurs in the face of imminent danger. The report said the fire was an accident and caused around $7 million in damages. According to FOX 5's Matthew Cappucci the smoke plume got to about 3,600 feet and . We were there from May until early November. I would like to know if the same two kids are also responsible for the first Chimney fire? Who allowed this to happen? From 7 p.m. until midnight sustained winds were at 13 to 17 mph with gusts from 34 to 49. I wish the Feds had kept the case instead of handing it off to the local DA. Since November 29 it has rained about every 2 to 3 daysin the Gatlinburg area. The NPS protected themselves and other special interest groups as well. 3:36 p.m. Gatlinburg Fire Department is going door-to-door asking residents to voluntarily evacuate to a Red Cross evacuation shelter set up at the Gatlinburg Community Center located at 156 . Officials identified Robert A. Hejny, 63, who was found at Traveler's Motel in Gatlinburg. So sometime during the night as we now know everything burned down. Asked if I knew if there were any other people down in that area. U.S. Park Service (again) and Thanksgiving. I believe God was speaking to me early in the day on 28th and I am grateful for the ability He blessed me with to get out of Gatlinburg early.. But until the review of the fire is complete and the report is published, I would be careful with a statement like this: 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. Excellent points, Jody. When the rain started again at 8 a.m. the relative humidity rose into the 90s. They must be invited in by the state, so the bureaucracy and border silos are at issue here too. The park needs to share accountability in this situation, and all of us who have formerly worked in fire realize this. I agree that there needs to to be a change of attitude about climate change, wildfire potential in the east, an adaptation to changing conditions and a throwing out of the holding on to the been there done that, know all there is to know, seen this before thinking and the holding onto a world that used to be. Now he has the benefit of another 60 to 90 days of another investigation before anything officially or otherwise will be said. An ongoing lawsuit against the National Park Service over its handling of the 2016 Gatlinburg Wildfire is on hold as a federal judge considers a motion to dismiss the suit. A similar fire occurred on English Mountain. Something broke down here and at the risk of not being PC the important thing is that the issues are discovered and learning takes place followed by action. Neddo said total shock is the only way to describe how he feels. I knew him when he was at Indiana Dunes National Lake Shore. Honor. 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. Tennessee Wildfire Cause: Gatlinburg Fires May Have Been Man-Made But. 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. Especially our local emergency workers and the Park Service. A spokesperson for the city said the Gatlinburg Fire Department was dispatched to the 700 block of Parkway in downtown Gatlinburg at 6:39 a.m. on October 9. They decided instead to monitor and to identifyon a map areas for indirect containment lines which encompassed 410 acres. The winds that Monday afternoon had knocked power lines down and early reporting made mention of separate ignition points in the residential hillsides. I understand the excellent point made in the article that history in the Smokies area would expect less of a problem than out West. We are emotional beings, we feel and we have the capability to think. The two juveniles who set a fire are not alone in this. Those strong southerly winds had been forecast a good two days before the fire broke through into the developed areas. 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. And we were lucky. A lot of personnel put forth heroic efforts to save lives and we should all be grateful for that. Instead 14 people are dead, many are injured, 2000 structures burned, loss is now a pandemic. Heavy Rain In Pigeon Forge & Gatlinburg Tennessee (March 2023) When the simple laws of fire physics and chemistry correctly combine, fuel, heat, oxygen, and in the wildland fire arena available fuels, topography and ideal fire weather conditions mix in perfect alignment plus given adequate TIME, a-bine unattended campfire, an arsonists match, or a slowly backing down-slope surface fire in leaf litter during a record setting drought will ultimately result in a disastrous conflagration. There are thousands and thousands of people who feel as I do about your loss and the losses of so many people in Gatlinburg and the surrounding area. There are three broad categories of conditions that affect the way a wildfire burns: weather, fuels (vegetation), and topography. Some of those GSMNP personnel were trained out west and know how fast a wildfire spreads in high winds. Experience by itself often lends to complacency and been there done that thinking. It is a truism that many people want all the benefits of government, but dont want to pay for them. Money and CNN. The dead hemlock had to have been of huge impact to the fire. A lot of chainsawing has been going on. 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. 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. And the list goes on. They should not be excused because they did not escape the consequences this time of their lax policies and their actual failure to follow the procedures they should have followed. 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. Theres no guarantees that putting a couple hotshot crews with good air support on that fire earlier could have prevented this tragedy, but that would have been more defensible. Bob and Stanton snuck around back roads and made it in a few days earlier than most and found what we were fearing. 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 was in the area hiking November 21 and there was no smoke coming from the Chimneys area. Are county officials telling people about the Code Red Alert System? Fire managers brought in resources from all over the country. Remembering the Gatlinburg Wildfires five years later - WYMT Not because I am a teller of fortune. Unfortunately its the home owners that are taking the hit and I think it should be them. Period. We need a growing pool of resources who have gained knowledge and wisdom hat can be applied to future events, not to lessen the pool by throwing out those who failed but are not a failure. The fire broke out around 6:30 a.m. at the mall on the Parkway in downtown Gatlinburg. there is still a nagging question regarding the use of BACKFIRE on the part of the NPS and the Gatlinburg Fires? 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. Someone must have started the fire. That afternoon a Chinook Type 1 helicopter (Type 1s are the largest helicopters used on wildfires) began dropping water on the fire, refilling at Fontana Lake 13 miles to the southwest, according to a source we talked to who didnt want their name disclosed because they were not authorized to speak on the subject. I was on the Party Rock fire in NC and our IMET was predicting that storm event 3-4 days before it happened. My question to the Deputy Super: If the Chimney Tops Fire 2 of Nov 23rd to 28th, 2016 could not have been extinguished before the winds came; and there was plenty of time to act before the winds came; then how come GSMNP fire crews apparently extinguished the first Chimney Tops Fire of Nov 12/13th, 2016? It is so much easier to sit on the outside, pass judgement and sentencing in the name of accountability than it is to be involved in the event of vulnerability in action. Youre right change is hard to come by. The public cannot sit on their hands and expect anything to change. What is unconstitutional here is that if this first fire of the 14th is under investigation, then certain parties have committed obstruction of justice. Aircraft dropping water or fire retardant on a fire cannot put it out. Steve Brueck of DaculaWeather.com suppied us with Local Storm Report Informationfrom the National Weather Service that includes wind gust speeds in the general area. What Caused the Gatlinburg Fire of 2016? Here's the Real Story But the last one, issued at 7 a.m. EST on Sunday by Eric Holweg, did predict strong winds. There is much to delve into in resolving the causative factors of this disaster and the fire and park service are only a part of that equation. Ive not had a chance to hike post-fire areas in the mountains yet to see fires effect on dead hemlocks, but what Henry said about dead stumps burning into the ground looking like a volcano rings true with what Ive witnessed in mountain forest areas that burned decades ago. If the defendants didnt ignite the 14th fire, who did and is this 14th fire under investigation? 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. The leadership tetrahedron if you will, the area where all the parts come together based on the past, the current, the potential and the possible. By the end of the day on Sunday the fire had burned approximately 35 acres, according to Ms. Schroer and the results from a mapping flight (see the 3-D mapabove). Just like the mayor of Amity in Jaws, they were not about to evacuate the entire city on Thanksgiving weekend. Report: Gatlinburg fire caused $7 million in damages. Many, if not most, of these incidents leave the confines of the managing agency and sweep out onto lands owned or managed by others. People died and lost so much and that is absolutely tragic! At least that is my understanding. Love your neighbors, yes. When I arrived in Branson at the hotel I was close to a fire exit, and frankly forgot about my nightmare. Their are undoubtedly many many causative factors for any disaster, even the actions, inactions and unintentional actions can be like a snowball rolling down a mountain of snow! Emergency crews were on the scene for 31 hours extinguishing the fire before the emergency demolition was requested. 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 . Only we, the people, the voters, can force change by raising our collective voices by repeatedly demanding the governor and Congress take action now! 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. a wind and weather event like they got, that resulted in fire spread that resulted the the state TEMA command center to have to relocate in the middle of the incident gives a picture of what they were dealing with. The perfect firestorm. My prayers are with all of you. I had concerns about traffic once we got down there. 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. Well said, the terrain here is different than a lot of places, even out west. Shelter locations could have been announced, especially encouraging people to take action during the daylight hours that day so that escaping in total darkness during an inferno of fire or not having the means to do so would not be forced on people, and they could make arrangements for their own safety. Climate change, human, social, political and economic factors are all also a part of this outcome, cause and effect. They are having a press conference this afternoon so perhaps there will be more transparency. When we reached Turkey Nest Road there was a big white crewcab pickup truck parked in front of Barbaras Real Estate. Typos, let us know HERE, and specify which article. I was struck by the daunting task of creating a viable fire-prevention plan in that area of constant tourist turnover, and the way it is laid-out. 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. During the investigation, fire officials interviewed a cleaner of Loco Burro who saw a person matching Bates description the morning of the fire. A massive wildfire in the Tennessee resort towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge has destroyed more than 150 structures, including homes and businesses, authorities said Tuesday. Given enough time the clock will run out and the weather will either be in the fire mangers favor or WATCH OUT! Common since would tell you a mountain fire in wind and drought would move very fast!!! Here is a question & answer from Bill interviewing Tom Nichols on Wildfire Today: One of the more common errors in judgment you have seen on fires? It was hard to drive because of falling leaves, branches, smoke, wind, and nerves. Person killed in downtown Gatlinburg fire identified A little later the local TV news reported the fire had crossed the road and was headed up the mountain behind the Park Vista. 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. GFD officials examined the scene and found a body, later identified as Joe Martin Bates, in Suite 4. This fire as did others around this time had highly predictable potential for massive and rapid spread. Those with information are urged to contact the Tennessee Arson Hotline at 1-800-762-3017 or the GFD at 865-436-5112. We have border issues, at the local levels, states rights and federal rights that are still at issue, leadership silos, and rising political issues. Very well said Tommy. Property owners still have the rights to protect their property. They found plenty of resources when they realize they were going to be burning all the money making business is down on Monday. Now I can only imagine what children or adults with issues might have gleaned from this message being broadcast. Visibility was bad and it was hard to breathe as we unpacked our truck. That and your wish to pay 50% income tax and there will never be a fire again! A complex set of contributing factors no doubt, many that fell on deaf ears until they had to open eyes! Thanks for the legwork. I certainly agree there are definitely consequences for our actions, for some more than others. 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. 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. Mitchell, Mt. As I learned in the first 12 hours what took place there, I realized that there was almost no preparation for the risk of a fire, on any Not the best plan but the safest. I told Stanton I wanted him to drive our truck up to top of mountain behind house to get it away from house and out from under so many trees. Fire kills 1, destroys businesses in downtown Gatlinburg, Tenn Remembering the Gatlinburg Wildfires five years later - WBRC 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. The deaths in this incident can be attributed to being trapped and forced to shelter in place. 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. Shortly after that power was lost to the station and data stopped being recorded. (PETER PARKS/AFP via Getty Images) Chan estimated the insurance claim could . 100-acre brush fire causes evacuations in Collier County 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. 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. No pre-evacuation notice was sent so citizens could be ready to depart. Join our group. On Friday, Gatlinburg city officials released a report detailing the downtown fire on Oct. 9. We must as you say accept that humans are emotional beings and that goes for those who lost and those who stand to perhaps lose their jobs and livelihood often for making the best decisions they could with what was available to them at the time. 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. In this instance, it is not only important to ask the questions its mandatory to question the answers if we are to achieve true critical thinking. The 2 juvenile defendants have been charged with the fire of Nov 23rd, 2016; but there has been NO apparent media release by officials and investigators as to whether these defendants started the fire of Nov 14th, 2016? Any time our community suffers a great loss or devastation like this, it impacts everybody, she said. There was lots of sunlight and lots of low-level vegetation so much that the trail was overgrown and we decided to turn around. 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. We have turned in a claim but still no word on a settlement. Alice Hagler was reported missing by her family and later confirmed dead. I am thankful so many are not only opening their eyes here, but taking action and questioning. 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. Incident Mgt. The winds were getting stronger. Interesting time line, fire discovered about 1730 November 23. Who is watching the back door? 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. We have a mountaintop cabin about 50 miles south of this area. He and the other NPS staff there regularly went on out of state assignments. 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. The earlier fire on the hill was named Chimney Tops hence the name Chimney Tops 2 for the new blaze. As a mountain boy who loves the harshest terrain even I couldnt imagine trying to run a fire line in this area. 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? And I dont write about that many of them. 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. I hold you in my thoughts and prayers for healing and recovery there are others who have posted about their losses on this blog, Kelly for one, and I did not give myself peymidfipn to say these words to them at the time .. Just like the Mayor of Amity in Jaws. In late 2016, wildfires . OF COURSE the dead hemlocks (and spruces and firs) are changing the picture for fire danger. These fires were allowed to cook with little or no suppression action. 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. The forecasts from the 24th through the 26th did not predict the extreme weather that began Monday, November 28. On Sunday evening we discussed with Gatlinburg friends the forecast for high winds on Monday, so I disagree with local Gatlinburg officials that they were caught by surprise. This is a complicated incident where many lessons can be learned. But the pickup trucks I encountered were full of wildfire firefighters, inside the City of Gatlinburg. 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. I knew high winds were predicted for Gatlinburg by watching the weather channel. It is a sad state of affairs, the loss of life was quite avoidable. I could not figure how to put pictures on Wildfire Today, so here are links to let you see whats happened in the Park. People lost their lives and homes because no warnings!!! Thanks again for your touching reply. Oh thats right they did but it was after everything burned! I think 6 days should have been plenty of time for them to do something we now see what inaction causes, dont we. NPS officials are looking to avoid tort liability claims, plan & simple. There are zones that are simply are impenetrable by cellular rays and even satellite has issues. This is how the devastating Gatlinburg wildfire erupted overnight We saw some trucks when we drove out late morning. I saw Wyoming and Colorado engines being demobalized after containment. They are as Brene Brown puts it, In The Arena; not merely sitting in a seat watching it or viewing from a comfort zone at home on the big screen but in the Arena risking everything for others. One person was found dead in the rubble of a fire that broke out in downtown Gatlinburg early Sunday morning. 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. The Gatlinburg fire that killed 14 people was started by two teenagers dropping lit matches onto the ground along Chimney Tops Trail in Great Smoky Mountain National Park, sources close to the investigation told the Knoxville News Sentinel. There are a lot of excellent experienced fire management staff working for the Park Service. It's always sad to see the destructive forces of Mother Nature. 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 .