I told him I would call fire department in Gatlinburg across from Food City. I am just saying that it is not necessary to lynch someone in order to hold them accountable. What about firefighter safety? The further fire growth part was more accurate than they realized at the time. Brush fires spread across multiple counties this afternoon in Southwest Florida due to high winds. And we were lucky. Neither the NPS nor the city wanted CNN cameras covering a mass evacuation of a town jam packed with tourists on Thanksgiving weekend. Often times in seeking to take out a person, the real root causes go unaddressed, and sometimes that includes some people taking the fall for decisions of others that were major contributing factors. It is no wonder that the people do not trust Government. There was much deadwood on the forest floor, including the Hemlocks and other species both down and standing dead. Local officials dont seem to learn from past experiences, nor plan well for possible dangers. wasnt blocked off since Mynatt Park was told to evacuate at 5:17. On Monday, December 5, the Incident Management Team (IMT) on the Chimney Tops 2 Fire that burned from Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM) into the Gatlinburg area reported that it has . Officials identified Robert A. Hejny, 63, who was found at Traveler's Motel in Gatlinburg. Common since would tell you a mountain fire in wind and drought would move very fast!!! 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. Jeannines comments were spot on. I would like to know if the same two kids are also responsible for the first Chimney fire? 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. Thanks for adding more good insight. California couple whose gender-reveal party sparked a wildfire charged Emergency crews were on the scene for 31 hours extinguishing the fire before the emergency demolition was requested. We could get blocked in by both. I can picture all When the fire started on Chimney Tops I thought surely the National Park Service would take necessary steps to put it out quickly because of the sure danger of it spreading. Now he has the benefit of another 60 to 90 days of another investigation before anything officially or otherwise will be said. 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. I appreciate that fine quality of writing that expresses your thoughts in an easy to read yet structured style that makes sense. Copyright 2022 WVLT. GRSM firefighters spotted the new fire as they returned from responding to a report of a vehicle fire. But I believe there is a fourth element of fire behavior prediction and that is the element of situational awareness. This is how civilians, firefighters, personal property and extensive environmental damage results. perish, but for the 14 who did, I can hear it now, hasnt the NPS learned anything in the past 10-20 yrs? They were told No, we have it under control.. There is only one check point access at East Parkway (Hwy. GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WVLT) - One person died and another was injured in a large fire in downtown Gatlinburg Sunday. We are excited to start new memories and get back on the trails. I left the professional fire service with 3o plus years of experience, yet with a still learning and observant mind. IMT issued pre-evacuation notices in GA and NC each time they saw cold-front winds approaching that could would threaten communities. Kind of like closing the barn door after the cow gets out, dont you think? Four downtown Gatlinburg businesses are picking up the pieces, after a fire Sunday morning destroyed their building. An in depth investigation should be launched and the (ir)responsible parties identified. I told him there wasnt when I got there at 5 oclock but I could not even see driveways on the way up. No evacuation orders issued- If I had gone to work that day my two sons would be dead. 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??? Where was all the HELP TO PUT THIS FIRE OUT A WHEN IT STARTED???? He also raked as many leaves as he could from around our cabin. I was on the phone w them that Mon. GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WVLT) - Four downtown Gatlinburg businesses are picking up the pieces after a fire Sunday morning destroyed their building. I just assumed that others would be leaving Gatlinburg out of concerns similar to mine. Fire crews were dispatched to a structure fire around 6:30. Hasnt anyone noticed that friends groups are paying for major park infrastructure and various other projects that our Congress has failed to provide for? Thanks again for this forum. Authorities have not identified the victim or . The identities of the three killed have not been released . I am sure the Alum Cave trail up Mt. It was shaking the car as we drove. Fire Summary. 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. My wife and I hiked to Alum Cave Bluffs Saturday, Nov. 26, while the fire was small up on the Chimneys. Im surprised Cherokee Orchard Rd. Screenshot from the Knox News video. I am glad so many are taking a look at this situation, and hopefully never loosing sight of the intention to improvement and a better way. Lots of fires getting controlled, crews pulling off and the new fuel falling and all back ablaze. This fire as did others around this time had highly predictable potential for massive and rapid spread. FF get lulled into thinking they know by instinct but that era ininct will get people killed and thatas what happened. I was on the Party Rock fire in NC and our IMET was predicting that storm event 3-4 days before it happened. Especially our local emergency workers and the Park Service. If one is growing by experience you keep them moving forward as we all benefit from their learning and experience. Once again the County and the City is sitting around twiddling their thumbs and doing nothing just like they did when the fire started and they could have contained it. Gatlinburg Fire 2016: How It Happened & the Aftermath - PigeonForge.com The truck was filled with firefighters. I am thankful so many are not only opening their eyes here, but taking action and questioning. Suppression actions, especially backfires, causing way more damage to natural resources than the wildfire is doing., First rule of any structure fire or wildfire. Politics, as we know can cloud even a clear sunny day!!! My main purpose in commenting was to differentiate between a monitored wildfire and prescribed fire. We need to hold, that experience though often shared, does not fit into every mold, because in the real world though some laws are universal, there is always changing variable and situations are never really exactly the same. 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. 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. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park Facebook page reported (on Monday 11/28 at 1046am) that gusting winds have caused the fire to spot across the ridges in the Chimney Tops and Bull head Ridge Area. notice should have been at 5-6 given the wind. That is when I said to myself Where the hell is TEMA?. As a contractor I worked with a Dunes engine in Michigan MI years ago. We could see the smoke. Gatlinburg is in Sevier County. I picked them up and came back home with plans of bringing truck back over mountain and filling it up because it was near empty. I love the mountains, but can I feel safe again? 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. Shame on you. What caused the fire in the Smoky Mountains? time. Report: Gatlinburg fire caused $7 million in damages. 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. Those businesses were also protected from the fire. 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. We were still asleep when it happened. Can fire experts examine burned areas and decipher the path of natural wildfire from managed ignited fires? 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. Those people have their head in a hole, a burned out tree stump hole the very definition of ignore-ance. Easy for many of you to sit back and Monday morning quarterback when you dont have skin in the game as I did. She said I dont think its necessary for you to leave home with children and dog at this point. GRSM posted Fire Information signs in the area explaining their monitoring strategy due to vertical cliffs, narrow rock ridges and steep drainages. Resident of Western Maryland. Alice Hagler was reported missing by her family and later confirmed dead. Ive ranted about the comparison to how Chimney Tops and Gatlinburg was handled by GSMNP and TEMA. Thanks! Body found in rubble of Gatlinburg fire - wtvq.com By being so quick to lynch people we have created a fear of decision-making and a paralysis of critical thinking. They learned. They felt this was an attempt to start a forest fire and it was reported to officials. 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. Just a reminder to all, wildfires knows no boundaries, political beliefs, policy or management decisions just simple laws of physics and science from S-190: Basic Fire Behavior fuels, weather, topography and an ignition source plus extreme, well documented, long term drought conditions equals a recipe for conflagration, death and destruction. 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 IMT reported that the fire had not increased in size over the previous 24 hours and was still listed at 17,006 acres. It is very hard and slow to navigate through laurel stands and the thick Tennesee Barbed Wire Briar patches. The winds that Monday afternoon had knocked power lines down and early reporting made mention of separate ignition points in the residential hillsides. By the way, I havent seen any local media covering much for the victims since the coverage with Jerry and the pursuit of compensation. 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. Investigators have determined that the fire was human-caused and are asking for information from anyone who has information about people or vehicles that were seen in the area that day. Two Hawaii police departments are making moves to beef up incentives as recruiting efforts grow more competitive. Thanksgiving weekend is one of the 4 busiest weekends for Gatlinburg and the National Park. The person or people responsible for the fire have not yet been found. I wonder when NPS actually put out a request for Incident Management Team support. On November 23 when the fire was discovered the KBDI was 599, Molly Schroer, a spokesperson for the IMT told us. Its community and people that have jobs. 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. Our world is complex and it is a system of interacting parts, we all need to start thinking more globally (meaning systemic and how each part interacts with the other) in our processes and understand how each choice, decision and action we take personally and as a group affect all the other parts. You certainly got it right when you said that sometimes government does not listen and it takes a loud voice. 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. Thank all of you. I may be alone in thinking that, but I do think the Feds would stand up to local influence. It was very low on gas and fully covered with insurance. It would make suppression efforts difficult, but a fire break could have been constructed around the original slow-moving fire in the early days. NPS officials are looking to avoid tort liability claims, plan & simple. Fire erupts on both side of Highway 441 between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tenn., Monday, Nov. 28, 2016. Henry, do you know the effect of the typical southeastern forest ground fires on the hemlock adelgid? Remembering the Gatlinburg Wildfires five years later - WYMT 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. Asked if I knew if there were any other people down in that area. Great job on this website, it is very informative and I recommend it to everyone in the business. 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. Chalet Village Gatlinburg, Tommy there is a class action lawsuit being formulated by a Knoxville attorney. 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. 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. Ive been told by others that they were waiting for the rain to move in based on the forecast and it didnt arrive when they expected so in the meantime they did nothing. When I crawled my way up Pinecrest Drive to Wiley Oakley through dense smoke, I saw a Gatlinburg pumper at the top of the hill. You cannot sit and watch a fire in the mountains this close to a town and not call in lots of HELP!!! How about that for arm chair quarter backing. 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. I always come back to that groupthink mentality, the ladder of inference, the been there done that mode, the failure/fear to act, and thats how weve always done it thinking; all part of how our unconscious brain works without our conscious intervention and critical thinking skills. Will the Firefighter Safety crutch of the last twenty plus years be the political linchpin to justify fire management strategy and tactics employed by the GSNP? The Championship side, who are 19th in the table, said there have been no injuries. Ms.Schroer said she was not aware of any actual on-the-ground fire suppression efforts, other than perhaps some work on a distant indirect fireline, until Monday November 28, after the fire had grown large and crossed US Highway 141, the main road into the park. 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. Vincent Gabrielle, Knoxville News Sentinel. 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. Oct. 11, 2022, at 10:27 a.m. 1 Dead in Gatlinburg Fire That Affected Travel to Smokies. My husband stopped the car and the two men inside identified themselves as city water department employees. Thank you, Bill. Until you sit in my seat after 20 years of fire service, making decisions on where to send your firefighters based on their experience levels, you will then realize decisions have trade offs and sometimes Mother Nature over rules you. Your are correct; and we all pray and hope for the community to get back on their feet again. When boys and I got back home around 3:45, the winds were beginning to pick up and branches were beginning to fall. The leafless trees allowed more sunlight to hit the fuel, drying it out even more. 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. I seriously question if bias will be discreetly worked into this agency and their review of the fire?? It is not just officials who have not caught up with the new climate reality, it is the general public and those in the path of fire. I think that since its been brought to attention that nepotism shouldnt be involved in these positions because when it is you have people covering up, like a cat trying to cover up poop! 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 .. The NPS, IMO, did not take an aggressive stance on this fire, and that is usually the case with them. Very well said Tommy. Accusations were abundant. 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. How many resources were on how many fires at that time in this region and in others? So we can learn by others successes and failures but we must also not hang our hats on them either, because the story is as individual and unique as there are an infinite number of variables. 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. There is a marked increase in smoke and decreasing visibility due to the smoke. Massive Wildfire Engulfs Tennessee Resort Towns, Kills 3 We, the public, have to be activists for our own safety, the very safety that public officials claim to protect. So sometime during the night as we now know everything burned down. Being that were neighbors with these people, its people that we love. China Bazaar, Puckers Sports Grill, Gifts of Gatlinburg, and Caf 420 were all deemed a complete loss. Hong Kong skyscraper fire could mean $64M payout, cause under investigation On Oct. 9, a woman who was working at the Ripleys Aquarium smelled smoke and walked up to 745 Parkway Suite 4 to investigate. Visibility was bad and it was hard to breathe as we unpacked our truck. The fire was south of Gatlinburg. The forecasts from the 24th through the 26th did not predict the extreme weather that began Monday, November 28. My husband and I were at our house in Gatlinburg, just north of the Park Vista, on the night of the fire. Most of those resources were involved in those ongoing fires and unavailable for immediate response to a small fire, when it was still small. And not only they had time to evacuate but I called 911 Monday night on Nov. 28 2016 and ask if there was any evacuation orders for Gatlinburg and was told By The 911 operator no not at this time Later found out the whole place was on fire at the same time I called 911 ( WHY ) was I lied to ? Just like the Mayor of Amity in Jaws, they didnt want the tourists to see this much reality. Travelers are urged to avoid the area at this time. SOURCE Like this: Loading. I dont think so they were the people in charge not any of us and they didnt do their job. It was the hottest summer we ever felt. I dont understand, but I dont judge. Susan, Who ever was in charge should loose their job!!! Hit it with all you have the Moment it breaks out. The electricity goes out almost everytime there is a high wind. Why hasnt the NPS mentioned this first fire of the 14th? level, in advance of this disaster had occured. I repeat The NPS and the Fire Chief of Gatlinburg should have started fighting the Chimney Tops 2 fire aggressively the day it was discovered. This should be placed firmly on the shoulders of the Park Service, Cassius Cash, Superintendent and the City and County. As citizens we should be aware of all threats we face and expect our leadership to plan ahead as best they can. "We've had five (fatalities) really close together and this is more than we normally have by this time of year," Boyd said. I visited Gatlinburg on a trip to Asheville NC, in 1980. Narrowing it down to human-causes is easy for an investigator. 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. Instead, the city ordered evacuation of the neighborhoods nearest the NPS day use area that was on fire (Mynatt Park and others). Thought among the locals is that officials didnt want to lose the post-holiday weekend crowd and revenue. 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. Fire kills 1, destroys businesses in downtown Gatlinburg, Tenn Lets just live in denial, honor the government no matter what; and allow history to repeat itself with numerous secular and religious dictators. Like hell he did. If this is the same Bob Stanton commenting here, then the bias is way too obvious. Who knows what the climate will bring next year. 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. 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. Just like the mayor of Amity in Jaws, they were not about to evacuate the entire city on Thanksgiving weekend. Three people were killed and 14 others sent to area hospitals, Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller said Tuesday. 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. Chile is nearly a third world nation. Stanton wanted to go but I was afraid to for several reasons. 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. Just the mechanics of this devastating wildfire without any editorial comments. NO managing wildfire is much more complex, especially in a multiple fire drought driven incident like managers were dealing with on this incident. Many times this tactic takes commitment of over a week. Parkway in downtown Gatlinburg from the intersection at Traffic Light No. If I had even been in the bathroom or downstairs I wouldve died . 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. Teddy Roosevelt, who as you may know, was instrumental in establishing our national parks. What authority does NPS have outside GSMNP? 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. .. bless you all! Undoubtedly, the current management of our natural resources will come before the Judgments of the Almighty; for human lives were lost in this fire. If the new location isnt in Gatlinburg, it will definitely be in Sevier County. Learning for the future is important if it includes changes in policy and procedure. Council will utilize the 100s of wildfire experts testimony that the forresty service and local fire chief should have thrown everything they had at the Chimney 2 blaze the day it happened and everyone and every resource they could use from out of state that could get there within 24 hours. The public cannot sit on their hands and expect anything to change. Regarding the Chimney Tops Fire of Nov 14th, 2016, https://www.facebook.com/GreatSmokyMountainsNPS/posts/1236286613095333. My family lives 15 mi. Given enough time the clock will run out and the weather will either be in the fire mangers favor or WATCH OUT! 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 .

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