Nicely put together article. GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WVLT) - Four downtown Gatlinburg businesses are picking up the pieces after a fire Sunday morning destroyed their building. Then, a few days later they had the full timeline article and info about the NPS not following its own protocols. The use of smokejumpers could be part of the plan. These fires were allowed to cook with little or no suppression action. It is very steep terrain, I would estimate about a 65 degree incline, but it is not easy to fall to your death there. I wonder when NPS actually put out a request for Incident Management Team support. Who knows what the climate will bring next year. Remember GSMNP is not Yosemite or Yellowstone with extreme fire behavior and a history of problems. I know for a fact that all humans are not as tuned into Nature as others. 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. 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. 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 called Bob, boys and I got a bite to eat for supper so we wouldnt be a bother to our friends whose house we were going to wait out the evening. On the night before I left for Branson, I had terrible nightmares of being caught in a forest fire in Branson. Obviously spent no time in the military so they didnt know how to field dress A cigarette and pack it out. The steepness here is epic, the only way out of valleys this steep is straight down or up, your lucky not to hit a waterfall. Honor those who have risked much to help, indeed. The diff. Intense, deep burning fires with significant downwind spotting should be expected. NPS officials are looking to avoid tort liability claims, plan & simple. Finally, the Superintendent has the power to call up all the resources which were available. Resident of Western Maryland. I can name 14 people who deserved much better! Thanksgiving weekend is one of the 4 busiest weekends for Gatlinburg and the National Park. Many times this tactic takes commitment of over a week. However, an event such as the Gatlinburg fires undoubtedly leads to a can of worms that some folks would rather just sweep under the rug. The fire had spread to Mynatt Park in Gatlinburg, and people were being evacuated from neighborhood there. 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. Undoubtedly, the current management of our natural resources will come before the Judgments of the Almighty; for human lives were lost in this fire. This is how the devastating Gatlinburg wildfire erupted overnight By Angela Fritz November 29, 2016 at 1:06 p.m. EST Wildfires raging in the Tennessee resort towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon. Download the WATE 6 News app or sign up for our email alerts for updates. 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. From my back ground in fire, safety and as a fire investigator I see the development of a chain of multiple, unusual and totally unexpected events leading up to final blowup. Rippetoe hopes the destruction isnt there much longer and all businesses lost can return. Humble yourselves to the Lord and seek HIS divine help. Many fire managers in that situation would immediately attack emerging fires very aggressively with overwhelming force, that is, many firefighters on the ground assisted by numerous aircraft dropping water or fire retardant. 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. Our neighbors 3 doors down were outside near their car. The multiple chain of events you refer to is also simple, two juvenile delinquents set the fire, the park service knew it existed and they did absolutely nothing to put it out. Only 0.05 inch fell at the Indian Grave Remote Automatic Weather Station 18 miles west of the fire. 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. In my eyes, TEMA should have taken control of the situation and ordered evacuations before sunset. Thats exactly what I plan on doing and recording the calls so that if they dont take action they an explain to the public why after getting all of these calls with people pleading for them to take action. This time it is not firefighters but civilian deaths. So sometime during the night as we now know everything burned down. I dont understand, but I dont judge. Have a wildland fire news tip? 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. Above: The Drought Monitor issued November 29 showed Exceptional Drought, the highest category, for the Gatlinburg area and large sections of Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, and South Carolina. They are having a press conference this afternoon so perhaps there will be more transparency. time. Birmingham City have had to close their training ground after a fire caused damage on Friday morning. 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. Birmingham City close training ground after fire causes damage they may be using too wide a brush to place blame. Now I can only imagine what children or adults with issues might have gleaned from this message being broadcast. I am like you in that I will never be able to get a good nights sleep on the mountain again as Im all be consistently looking out the window. Not even 5 years ago over 60 homes burned in one night in Wears Valley when fire spread from house to house, in the fall, during a high wind. My family lives 15 mi. We are emotional beings, we feel and we have the capability to think. If the Park Service had done there job in the first place and City and County leaders would have stepped in and done something this could and would have been prevented. Im sorry but that initial fire management at the outset was atrocious. Watch This is Now, live from the Hawaii News Now Digital Center, weekdays on KHNL at 12 p.m. and on all of our streaming platforms. We, the public, have to be activists for our own safety, the very safety that public officials claim to protect. 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. The person or people responsible for the fire have not yet been found. All my constructive criticisms are not targeted to Park personnel in general. 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. 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. The Championship side, who are 19th in the table, said there have been no injuries. I viewed aerial photos of that area over the past 10 years (on USGS website). I would hope that we would fund the National Park Service much better so that cost-cutting is not so high on their priorities. There was a tree down on road out but we were able to drive around it. Who allowed this to happen? One Person Dead After Downtown Gatlinburg Fire Sunday But all sitting back and doing nothing to help. Sandra, I agree. There was lots of sunlight and lots of low-level vegetation so much that the trail was overgrown and we decided to turn around. Oh thats right they did but it was after everything burned! I learned that it is extremely difficult to manage, rather than suppress, a wildland fire for an extended period of time. According to Public Information Officer Seth Butler, the Gatlinburg Fire Department and the Pigeon Forge Fire Department were dispatched to downtown Gatlinburg at 6:39 a.m. on Sunday, Oct.. Over 130 sustained injuries, and 1,684 structures have been damaged or destroyed. 1 dead in Anchorage home fire that officials say was likely caused by I guess they must think when you have to go up there to handle this mess they caused that you dont need lodging, food or gas to get there. Contingency plans for how to evacuate the entire town, regardless of the specific hazard, were not well thought out. I am not convinced that all of what is considered to be the Chimney Tops 2 fire is. The individual was identified as Joe Martin Bates, 54, according to the Sevier County Medical Examiners office. Vincent Gabrielle, Knoxville News Sentinel. Humans will never be able to control or suppress all unwanted fires-structure, chemical or wildland. Published: Nov. 30, 2016, 8:41 p.m. Dry conditions and high winds caused a wildfire on Chimney Tops Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains to spread quickly . Gatlinburg Wildfire: 2 Juveniles Charged With Arson - NPR It now seems obvious that no housing development should have only road in and out. 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. 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. I was afraid to go into Park with boys. This lack of serious response is all too obvious. They must be invited in by the state, so the bureaucracy and border silos are at issue here too. Also, for the last several decades, NPS policies have allowed these excessive fuels to build. Bill thank you the excellent i sight and info that is hard to find publicly. By NPS rules a watch should have been kept on the fire overnight Sunday, but such did not happen. This data from Indian Grave was not too far offthe forecast issued the day before. The only way they will learn from the fire is if they have to face a jury of their peers to account for their ineptness even know they were in charge of protecting us and our homes and they did neither. We had loaded dog and Abram in car, out of smoke and told them to stay put. What about helicopters dumping water? 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 . Asked if I knew if there were any other people down in that area. That didnt happen here. Authorities have not identified the victim or . Alice Hagler, who went missing at Chalet Village, was identified Wednesday night by her son Lyle Wood, who said his mother's body had been found "in the ruins of her home, her life taken by a. He had been experiencing the high winds back West all day and was alarmed at possibilities as well. 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. Officials identified Robert A. Hejny, 63, who was found at Traveler's Motel in Gatlinburg. Remembering the Gatlinburg Wildfires five years later - WYMT Damage was estimated at more than $500 million, according to Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters. 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. We couldnt go up Motor Nature Trail so we went back to Cherokee Orchard Road. A similar fire occurred on English Mountain. It is very hard and slow to navigate through laurel stands and the thick Tennesee Barbed Wire Briar patches. I have a lot of pictures to share via my blog. Whose else is there? from Gburg. 865-637-2442. Teddy Roosevelt, who as you may know, was instrumental in establishing our national parks. 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. All rights reserved. They have tied their hands and resources through environmental forestry management. Drought, fall winds, fuel moistures that havent recovered in months, what part of this disaster was a surprise. But the condition of the fuel was also important since it happenedduring what the National Weather Service (NWS) calls exceptional drought conditions. GSMNP manager said he couldnt order an evacuation but he surely could have recommended one as the forecast for high winds was given early Sunday. People died and lost so much and that is absolutely tragic! Our place was gone. I look forward to seeing the report when it comes out. By the time we got to the Marshalls house it was 6:00 PM and they were watching the news. We must open our eyes and ears and check behind each corner and crevice to see the reality and not just the story being told by a few. You are reading this like most folks with common sense and a little analytical process, being all the data as you stated isnt on the table. Very well said Tommy. They were in their driveway with a water hose. Fire managers brought in resources from all over the country. Question, seek truth and evidence, get to the roots, with the intention to create and apply solutions, not simply hang someone; that is how we grow forward! I think the point is that IMT managed wildfires in the southeast had residents in pre-evac mode when high winds were forecast before each cold front passed. I heard a comment that people have the use common sense. 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. Who will accuse and then fire then? His parents died in the fire in Gatlinburg . Fire behavior is predictable, based on things such as mentioned in this article; weather, terrain and fuels. Especially our local emergency workers and the Park Service. Being that were neighbors with these people, its people that we love. As my husband was carrying things to the car at 5:00PM, a white SUV came by. It was probably 4:45 by this time. It is this same type of think tank and diversity we need in reaching a host of solutions to our complexity of problems both in this situation and in all others. I particularly liked Sharon Jensens after action summary. Fires in the Great. Had this fire+wind storm happened 3-4 weeks earlier it would have been exponentially worse, lots to be thankful for as we morn with TN. This country was founded on open respectful discussion, such as this which has occurred in this article commentary and blog comments. Sunday, four days after the fire started, was the first time that any firefighting aircraft were used on the fire, Ms. Schroer said. is TEMA didnt have the training. Out of all the issues evolving around negligence and what could have been done, etc. One person was found dead Sunday. This is the way to honor each other and to learn. Even so, is it risky to ignite backfire with such extreme fire conditions? I could not figure how to put pictures on Wildfire Today, so here are links to let you see whats happened in the Park. Many structures were lost- thankfully no lives. Fortunately, Wildfire Today and Knox News had both published detailed timelines about what happened and when, before the Sevier County DA cut off the info flow. The coolness and the moisture were gone. Things dont change unless people stand up and make them change. What Caused the Gatlinburg Fire of 2016? Here's the Real Story Talk about finger pointing! 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 Knox News timeline alone has enough info for several indictments. Will there be an independent, non-federal agency, through,unbiased, unedited final incident management and serious accident investigation? 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. I was near Gatlinburg until Saturday prior to the fire, visiting my family. Bill, correct me if I am wrong, but aircraft should be on the ground a half hour after sunset? Chile is nearly a third world nation. Can fire experts examine burned areas and decipher the path of natural wildfire from managed ignited fires? Thank you for the timeline and the opportunity for comments. 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.
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