Those with information are urged to contact the Tennessee Arson Hotline at 1-800-762-3017 or the GFD at 865-436-5112. 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. They were taught with classroom didactic and hands on training, by sharing of lessons learned by others, and the best learning opportunity available, the best teacher of all; the actual experience itself. We would best not be blind until that time is upon us, as then it will be too late. You cannot sit and watch a fire in the mountains this close to a town and not call in lots of HELP!!! Stanton wanted to go but I was afraid to for several reasons. 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. Even this article seems to skirt around some of the issues and miss the depth of analysis it needs to effect meaningful change. I can feel for the service providers and the devastated fire victims. I got out of the car and walked up to the side of the pickup truck. Cafe 420 and Gifts of Gatlinburg were also destroyed. Suppression actions, especially backfires, causing way more damage to natural resources than the wildfire is doing., First rule of any structure fire or wildfire. It was as if time had passed with no motivational disaster to spur this awareness, at least not in my local community. I phoned 911 and reported that the fire was approaching our home and that it was within a few feet of the city/park boundary. 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. GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WVLT) - Four downtown Gatlinburg businesses are picking up the pieces after a fire Sunday morning destroyed their building. Why the complacency? This eventually will affect us all at some point in time, as we too may one day find ourselves faced with similar circumstance. Some of the seemingly inexplicable burn patterns are due to the wind driven nature. Had they viewed the Chimney Tops 2 fire as though it was in the forested southwest Im sure they would have issued pre-evacuation notices up to 48 hours prior to the wind events of that Monday. 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. Good points about differentiating between prescribed fire and the wildfire. So whether the defendants started the 14th fire or not, a close examination of this Facebook press release indicates the fire apparently started on the 13th; and yet a social media photo post claims the 12th clearly showing a lack of response once again in fire suppression by the NPS. The actual clifts are small and easily avoided. A good example of the kind of human factors that continue to get in the way of better preparedness and change for the good is the backlash in which one reporter from NC received when she asked tough questions of some officials. What really was going on here? My family lives 15 mi. A lot of chainsawing has been going on. Work for the NPS and see their Fire-is-not-our-mission outlook on fires and know that they will not be a aggressive enough, will not have seasoned fire staff, will not allow their staffs go out on fires and get the necessary experience. He asked them how or who we could contact to get emergency information. I checked historical aerial photos on the USGS website because the die-off of the hemlock has been primarily over the past 10 years in the southeastern Appalachians. Yes government at all levels needs to be held accountable; otherwise we regress back into the Dark Ages. Obviously spent no time in the military so they didnt know how to field dress A cigarette and pack it out. It is to be considered, but verified by other means. This would explain why they are all covering for each other. Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new articles by email. On Monday November 28 it recorded wind gusts in that part of the state at46 to 60 mph, and a 76 mph gust on Wednesday. Finding out about the fire has hurt me almost as much as it did the locals. The main road out of Gatlinburg is the Spur, which is the 5 mile stretch of Park Service Road that lies between Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. 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. I hope the recordings werent pulled under threat of someones attorney or the DA. Like I said this is like so many tragic events, a chain reaction of events that all contributed to a disastrous outcome, because of actions and inactions that were not questioned or corrected at many steps of the way. This is the path to healing, and the way to light. The Gatlinburg ByPass is also closed. Experience in itself is never enough. It is likely that spotting did keep the ground fire spreading into the areas where the homes were, and certainly on the southern edge of town it was the primary ignition source, but I am still skeptical that the homes to the north of town were ignited that way. According to Ms.Schroer, firefighters walked up the Chimney Tops Trail to the top of the hill to size it up. Yes, some the ridges connecting to chimney-tops had dead hemlock stands. level, in advance of this disaster had occured. I am not holding my breath. So my husband called the Gatlinburg policy department with the same questions and got the same answers. I hope the report gives the reason why the tanker planes were never called in since they are co-managed by the NFS and NPS. 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. SOURCE Like this: Loading. I have an Gatlinburg address but the county services my street. The GRSM person that requested the Spot wrote: Concerned about ridgetop winds with the coming front. The learning system of resolution. Fire those managers! 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. Down hemlocks are mostly just gone. People responsible during the initial stages of the Chimney Top 2 wildfire need to be held accountable for violating these basic rules of fire physicsperiod. Those are low numbers for the southeastern United States. wasnt blocked off since Mynatt Park was told to evacuate at 5:17. The perfect firestorm. It seems to me that the extreme wind was as unprecedented as the drought and the low stream levels. I told him we would come pick him up in his car. Most events have a series of issues that contribute to the outcome, the more catastrophic the event the greater the number of contributing factors. Thought among the locals is that officials didnt want to lose the post-holiday weekend crowd and revenue. Lets see, that would probably consist of a GS-5 or 6 and two or three seasonal GS-4s. If it was felt that people on this fire were at risk then dont staff the fire. I wish the Feds had kept the case instead of handing it off to the local DA. Did the 14th fire discreetly burn in the duff amid rock cervices? FEMA did say they would give us a low interest rate loan, we dont want a loan we worked hard and paid it off and dont want to go in debt to rebuild! They were in their driveway with a water hose. Who can or will hold them accountable for their part in this tragedy? Lets hope that this round regarding the fire and loss of life, it will be more difficult for officials to weasel out of this one. Money. Our responses to this fire event have included comments with blame and fault-finding as well as a suggestion that we investigate in order to learn for future decision-making. For example politicians far away from the event make decisions regarding funding, resources and operations. Once again: the questions remain unanswered. They were flying water drops on Sunday with the equipment available (National Guard choppers). The big, dead hemlocks are light grey with a circular limb pattern as viewed from the air. Lets say the NPS put a crew on it day one in steep inaccessible terrain as they say it was in. I hope this video puts people at ease that this fire is. May God look out for all of you in your time of loss. I told her my concerns of fire, traffic, and falling trees blocking flow of traffic were there an emergency. Classic Swiss Cheese risk management fire management failurehave we as a profession learned anything since South Canyon, Yarnell and now Chimney Top 2? This should not be a time to blame and inflame, but to think and act wisely. These so called means of helping people out is a lie. The Chimneys functionally act as the head of a canyon leading directly to downtown Gatlinburg. These things dont come with the same cheap city plans out here in the rural mountainous zones! A club . Here is one interview I gave to a Cincinnati station 2-3 days after the fire. All rights reserved. It works like an Amber Alert to people who download the app and sign up. Many locals are saying the lack of evac was income driven. It was very low on gas and fully covered with insurance. The smoke steadily became thicker as the days passed and friends were showing pictures of the Chimneys on fire. The adelgid apparently needs the rougher bark of older trees to climb up the trunk to the greenery on which they feed. I fully understand the financial difficulties of the NPS and with firefighters abroad. In Gatlinburg, smoke and fire caused the mandatory evacuation of downtown and surrounding . It had burned into a picnic area and crossed the main roadinto the park, US Highway 441. To access this area, it is important to follow check point protocols. The aptly named Fire Cherry, Beech and Mtn. 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. Years ago, the NPS wasnt maintaining the churches in Cades Cove of the Smokies. A true lackadaisical response. It appears that the Deputy has contradicted himself here. The Thomas Divide Complex Fire comprises two wildfires the 140-acre Stone Pile Fire and the Cooper Creek Fire, which is estimated to be 170 acres. Numerous photos show a dramatic increase in smoke in the downtown area between 5 and 5:30 pm. The body of a person has been found in the rubble of a fire in downtown Gatlinburg, our ABC affiliate WATE reported Monday. The city said crews working the structure fire that . 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. A few scattered, mostly Red Spruce, conifers are all that is left. A complex set of contributing factors no doubt, many that fell on deaf ears until they had to open eyes! Difficult access to safely fight fire, lack of pre-blow up fire management, and extreme drought capped off by an exceptional weather event led to the July 1st, 1998 Farmton firestorm that burned through the rural community where I lived in east central Florida. Lets see what reviews done by people with expertise in wildland fire management come up with. Kelly Morgans comments may have been harsh and offensive to some folks; but when government builds a wall; sometimes it takes a loud voice to get their attention. China Bazaar, Pucker's Sports Grill, Gifts of . Click here. All my constructive criticisms are not targeted to Park personnel in general. When we reached our car at road level, we saw flames coming over the ridge directly south of our house. On Friday, Gatlinburg city officials released a report detailing the downtown fire on Oct. 9. Rippetoe hopes the destruction isnt there much longer and all businesses lost can return. Their lack of extended skill training is apparent. 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 in the area hiking November 21 and there was no smoke coming from the Chimneys area. 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? The more we let our selves be vulnerable and courageous in the face of tough situations, the more chance that we have that we will fall, and we will; we all will at some point if we take that risk to be brave and courageous. 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. Flies north of fire (s) in TN. Cleanup continued Tuesday, with crews piling up rubble near Traffic Light 6 on the Gatlinburg Pkwy. 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 truck was filled with firefighters. The cleaner told officials he found Bates in the room where the fire started and had what appeared to be a warming fire going. We were still asleep when it happened. As a contractor I worked with a Dunes engine in Michigan MI years ago. They will be touched in their heart as deeply as anyone who has lost in the tragedy itself. Pacific Buddhist Academy set to hold 17th annual Taiko Festival, the 14th annual Kualoa Hakipuu canoe festival back after a few years of kind of being shuttered because of the pandemic. They need to be accountable for their inaction, and action. Even though they are showing people receiving checks the day they apply, this was not the case for him. We have border issues, at the local levels, states rights and federal rights that are still at issue, leadership silos, and rising political issues. Collaboration, open thinking and creativeness are key. There is much opportunity in the Eastern Appalachians to better prepare citizens, towns , leaders and firefighters; To create more fire aware and safe communities. This is how we all get better at what we do and are. This is as far as this subject needs to go; for the objective of this site is in regard to wildfire. The successes, and the losses, the poor decisions, the mistakes, the error and the failures. He promised a committee to study what happened and there has been no word since. With that all happening before lunch. Have a wildland fire news tip? We were there from May until early November. 119K views 4 months ago GATLINBURG Many people get worried when they hear the words Gatlinburg and Fire in the same sentence. It was extremely dark and small branches and twigs were pelting our car. We watched local news and weather forecasts. Crews working a Gatlinburg structure fire that began early Sunday morning discovered a body. At the official Gatlinburg weather station recognized by the NWS 0.73 inch was recorded on Tuesday. Accountability is important and paying the price for our decisions is too. I hounded the Knox News editor for a followup article around Dec. 19. Easy for many of you to sit back and Monday morning quarterback when you dont have skin in the game as I did. I thought if we were have to leave we could take both vehicles to our friends house to sit out the night. Im thankful to be tuned in. Thats why I refused to use a local contractor. Be sure to bring valid forms of identification showing name and address of residence or business inside Gatlinburg. I am broken-hearted over it .. 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. 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. The further fire growth part was more accurate than they realized at the time. Even the Gatlinburg Fire Chief had been told on Sunday at 0900 that models had the fire hitting downtown Gatlinburg by Tuesday 1100. Yes. That mall is also rigidly enforced. The person or people responsible for the fire have not yet been found. Thanks for the good fact based, solid coverage of the events leading up to the fire. It just so happens that at this time hundreds of fires were subsequently being started all around the south! Are city and county officials learning to use the expensive Motorola radio system that would have allowed various agencies to communicate when cell service went down? Susan, Lied too by Gatlinburg or Sevier County officials? These folks do this often in situations in which they have little control over much of the situation or outcomes. That factor is the density of residential development, layout of roads, and approved building materials present in that area. Until theyre able to return, Neddo hates to see the Gatlinburg Parkway location gone, but he hopes the next place will be even better. 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. Your are correct; and we all pray and hope for the community to get back on their feet again. There is a marked increase in smoke and decreasing visibility due to the smoke. Stumps burned into the ground and look like volcano caldera. Nonetheless, it is obvious to some folks that the NPS did not act aggressive enough on this fire. They got info from NPS about the fire spreading. 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. The action taken by firefighters on Monday was defensive, to protect threatened structures at a nearby National Park Service picnic ground. Will some folks be held accountable for actions or non-actions related to this wildfire incident? Most of those resources were involved in those ongoing fires and unavailable for immediate response to a small fire, when it was still small. When I came out of dr. office, which is located on Middle Creek close to hospital, the atmosphere was eerie. But those heroes should have never been in that situation in the first place. True, our firefighters and 1st responders put their lives in harms way and we should respect them; and yet distinguish these folks from officials who are undoubtedly making bad calls/decisions. 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. GALLATIN, Tenn. (WTVF) Wildfires have ravaged Sevier County six years after deadly fires destroyed parts of Gatlinburg. If the new location isnt in Gatlinburg, it will definitely be in Sevier County. Not committing firefighters to direct attack in a steep very hard to access high risk area was a good decision. 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. What makes one golden and one not? By the way, the drainage to the northwest, where NPS had placed their line, is .2 mile and ~1,000 feet vertical (77% grade) of mostly weathered rock. Henry, do you know the effect of the typical southeastern forest ground fires on the hemlock adelgid? 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. fire Sunday morning destroyed their building. While my husband tried to rake the leaves away more than once, they blew right back in. Maybe within the next year, well see some kind of progress come together, said Neddo. The fire was south of 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. In late 2016, wildfires . 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. Well said, the terrain here is different than a lot of places, even out west. I wonder why? No one wanted the castrophe that resulted. 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? Park Service has not issued any warnings and there are no active fires in Gatlinburg city limits. I ask her if they had plans of issuing a warning if evacuations became necessary and ask her how they would do that. Multiple businesses were destroyed in the flames, totaling an estimated $7 million in damage. Sunday, four days after the fire started, was the first time that any firefighting aircraft were used on the fire, Ms. Schroer said. Spirit Airlines . 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. However, to expect her to honor the NPS is inappropriate considering reality and her circumstances. Above: Chimney Tops 2 Fire at 9:37 p.m. November 28, 2016 after it had burned into Gatlinburg, Tennessee. 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. 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. But instead great risks were taken through basic inaction and the consequences were disastrous. They just sat back and watched it burn. No. As a former FF, their claim that they could have never put it out if they tried from day one is BS. Between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.they increased to 7 to 15 mph with gusts of 22 to 32 mph all generally out of the south, blowing toward Gatlinburg. I would like to express that there are sincere and dedicated folks working for the National Park Service. Yet no one made a move. Officials keep repeating that nothing like this has ever happened here before so they cant be responsible. But from what I have read the failure in this situation was in following procedure, so what can be added to have averted this fire and its terrible deadly consequences? 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. Why are there not more prescribed and controlled burns being conducted? Or in steep cliff terrain it just isnt going to happen, no one on the fire. Earlier on Tuesday, media reported that a man was arrested for setting three fires that spread into a 300-acre fire in. For the region, I hope fire officials do realize that regional history makes little difference if the right combination of factors exists for rapid and extreme fire growth. 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! I agree, this has many players to blame and starts with Superintendent Cassius Cash and trickles down to the City and County. 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. The earlier fire on the hill was named Chimney Tops hence the name Chimney Tops 2 for the new blaze. I seriously question if bias will be discreetly worked into this agency and their review of the fire?? Another example from my own experience which has been rocked by bias and blatant failure to receive appropriate support and assistance when asked for; causing issues to occur that were later simply blown way out of proportion with conspired lies in order to protect and cover up the real underlying issues and people. Jon Binhammer had an excellent point about the hemlocks. 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. Which is why human history keeps repeating itself over and over. They didnt want CNN down there declaring their tourist town a death trap. Ms. Schroer told us that additional firefighters were ordered on Sunday. In addition, the valley above Gatlinburg, drained by LeConte Creek, has had enormous numbers of dead hemlock standing and fallen. They have tied their hands and resources through environmental forestry management. Thanks Henry. Officials say the road will be closed for an extended period. Narrowing it down to human-causes is easy for an investigator. Now he has the benefit of another 60 to 90 days of another investigation before anything officially or otherwise will be said. She replied, Mrs. Undoubtedly, the current management of our natural resources will come before the Judgments of the Almighty; for human lives were lost in this fire. It is not a black and white world, not a this or that, it is all encompassing. 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. Suddenly a fire truck from Harriman came careening around the corner and headed up Turkey Nest Road. Impressive. A voluntary evacuation should have been issued at least 36 hours before the fire exploded. What good does it do to lynch those who are learning and gaining the very experience we expect and seek? Someone must have started the fire. 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. There are other variables that are of concern here too, such as area resources that are already low and being taxed by the sheer number of fires occurring in the region, the growth of urban interface among the eastern forests, rugged mountainous terrain and economic restraints. There is simply too much BS. Of course they wont. 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. In this case, there were no firefighters in a position to take direct action. 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. They found plenty of resources when they realize they were going to be burning all the money making business is down on Monday. We strive to use real facts, not alternative facts, on Wildfire Today. We are excited to start new memories and get back on the trails. Screenshot from the Knox News video. When human death is involved, there should be accountability, even if there is unintentional negligence. Even if the new construction doesnt suffer from the eventual degradation of the old foundation, years after you have rebuilt and want to sell your cabin, due to prior disclosure malls when you tell a prospective buyer that your foundation went through the 100 year fire which burned your foundation at 1400 to 3000 F, only a fool would buy it. So because of his and other incompetence property owners are paying the price. This was done to simply to avoid tort liability claims even though a claim was filed; and to avoid accountability. With that said: were NPS officials aggressive enough in seriously emphasizing to Gatlinburg officials to start preparing for mandatory evacuations? This isnt finger pointing its the simple facts of the entire situation like it or not! 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. Why is forestry both national and state not working more collaboratively with citizens and local fire departments to improve awareness and preparation?
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