Will some folks be held accountable for actions or non-actions related to this wildfire incident? Body found amid rubble of Sunday's major fire in Gatlinburg 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. 1 dead in Anchorage home fire that officials say was likely caused by They have tied their hands and resources through environmental forestry management. Lots of fires getting controlled, crews pulling off and the new fuel falling and all back ablaze. 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. I have an Gatlinburg address but the county services my street. Our Gatlinburg Inn was built on family and community. Henry, do you know the effect of the typical southeastern forest ground fires on the hemlock adelgid? Vincent Gabrielle, Knoxville News Sentinel. Resources = $$$=taxes. An expert, a hero or success is the one who takes a vulnerable risk at making a decision and by grace the outcome is positive, by contrast is the person who makes similar vulnerable risk in decision-making and by grace the outcome is negative. It is now time for aircraft (usually helicopters) to start washing the fire off the hill. The public cannot sit on their hands and expect anything to change. 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. If I had even been in the bathroom or downstairs I wouldve died . It is a truism that many people want all the benefits of government, but dont want to pay for them. A couple of weeks after hearing no hardcore news from Knox News, I wrote the editor asking if the News was still doing hardcore investigation of the fire. Over 3000 wildfires received Initial Attack in November in the southern Appalachians, many of which were still very active when Chimney Tops 2 started. Given enough time the clock will run out and the weather will either be in the fire mangers favor or WATCH OUT! National Park Service Supervisory Park Ranger (Protection) in Teddy Roosevelt, who as you may know, was instrumental in establishing our national parks. Fire erupts on both side of Highway 441 between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tenn., Monday, Nov. 28, 2016. 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. This is from previous questioning of mine from another Wildfire Today article: Team to Begin Chimney Tops 2 Fire: I appreciate your more thorough break down of backfire. with a notice that evacuation is imminent would have been prudent. 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. This would explain why they are all covering for each other. I agree, this has many players to blame and starts with Superintendent Cassius Cash and trickles down to the City and County. I have memories of the endless mountainous terrain, but the vast development that came into being, came well after my trip there. Watch the pride and ego firefighters: youll never outmatch Gods elements. Did the fire have to be so devastating? People died and lost so much and that is absolutely tragic! So they were more concerned about NPS structures than our homes and lives? 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. It upset a lot of locals, but many lauded it. 'Human caused' Tennessee wildfires kill seven near Dollywood park I said at the time thatvwas crazy, evac. 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. There are many many folks who even if cell service were functional could not afford it. I would rather have someone on the job who has screwed up, erred and learned from the experience as I know that the chances of a repeat performance are lessened and for most learners they will progress forward with even better decision making skills. Below is the stateof access to the fire area, as reported by the IMT: The National Park is closed from the Gatlinburg Entrance to Smokemont near Oconaluftee (US 441, Newfound Gap) and Little River Road from Sugarlands Visitor Center to Townsend. 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. May God look out for all of you in your time of loss. Jeanne: I do not disagree with your thought process regarding some of the broad challenges wildland fire mangers have faced in the past thirty some years. There isn't one specific cause behind the fires, Boyd said. In addition thorough explanations could have been given for the reasons for calling for the Voluntary Evacuation and could have been published. I later learned that Sevier County pays for an emergency notification system called Code Red Alert. Thanks! It seems that not even people in western areas have learned that lesson very well, and now it is time for those with homes and property in the east to realize they are at risk too. Many structures were lost- thankfully no lives. My nightmare depicted more what happened in Gatlinburg than so far in Branson. I have to assume that the city of Gatlinburg felt that since my road was county property that I was on my own. The lawsuits from an event like Gatlinburg could go on for decades. My husband told me our children would not be happy with us if we did that, so we decided to leave without returning to the house. For the most part, the issues are with the Upper Brass. Deciding to keep air resources in reserve for initial attack on new starts rather than wash the fire off chimney tops was a good decision. Flies north of fire (s) in TN. They were in their driveway with a water hose. Who caused the fire in Gatlinburg? There may be some validity in the DA doing that, but it sure calls their integrity into question. Not committing firefighters to direct attack in a steep very hard to access high risk area was a good decision. Amazingly, some locals have whined about Knox News and Wildfire Today pointing out facts and timelines while ignoring the fact that it was Congress that cut the National Forest and National Park budgets. I think anyone that is from this area could see this could be a very dangerous fire from the first day!! She replied, Mrs. 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. But I believe there is a fourth element of fire behavior prediction and that is the element of situational awareness. Our government has been paying these communications companies millions in tax breaks and tax dollars to provide cellular and other affordable services to rural America, and they are failing to do so or providing the services at outrageous rates. That night after we arrived home we started getting text from friends showing fires at the Park Vista Hotel, then one from our neighbors across the street, he lives in Knoxville called and said he had been there at 5:30 P.M. this was on the 28th and when he left it was smokey but everything was still fine. 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. Our house was in a direct N/S line from the Chimneys. ATF, other agencies search for cause of blaze that claimed life of Thanks for the correction Bill. But if park management had been spending budget on fire management capabilities equal to those sites there would likely be criticism of that. I particularly liked Sharon Jensens after action summary. Gatlinburg businesses look to rebuild after massive fire Were these simply copy cat arsonists, arsonists with the most ridiculous stories to offer for why they lit these fires, or were they just cover-ups for something more sinister? Why the Monday morning quarterbacks seems to always get it right, while those in the game make the errors and the scores, winning and losing. The use of smokejumpers could be part of the plan. It also led officials to. The devastation of the Gatlinburg wildfires offered hope, in a - Yahoo! How the Historic Gatlinburg Fires Happened; a Humble Start - GovTech 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 should not be a time to blame and inflame, but to think and act wisely. 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. 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. I have a photo I took from the Walmart parking lot looking south that shows how smoky it was in Pigeon Forge. The immediate flash of ground clutter was followed by the much slower burning of the dead and down trees and stumps. James, thank you for that compliment! If that was the case, then they had to be fully aware that the fire was going to come down the mountain and burn not only NPS structures, but Gatlinburg structures as well? In addition, the valley above Gatlinburg, drained by LeConte Creek, has had enormous numbers of dead hemlock standing and fallen. This story Im telling is all factual you see I have a problem with anyone exaggerating events as well as lying so I tell the truth regardless of how unpopular it may be. People who live in forested areas need to be aware of fire danger. And no doubt books both factual and not on this event. Lastly, I would after this last election year never ever put stake into social media as any sort of official news, witness accounts or other fact finding mission. SOURCE Like this: Loading. I learned so much from the Incident Management Team websites for the various big fires in the mountains (Cohuttas, Joyce Kilmer, Standing Indian, Boteler, Tellico, Party Rock, Pinnacle Mountain). When enough folks dont take a vulnerable interest in situations and root out the evidence and real root causes to a situation, that is how cover-ups and lies live on, and the wrong people or wrong causes go unrooted. That and your wish to pay 50% income tax and there will never be a fire again! None of our fires escaped, in part because we had some very smart, very experienced people in key positions. Behind the Chimneys is Sugarland Mountain. 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 spent Thanksgiving there with our family, who left on Sunday. About 20 years ago, I hiked to Albright Grove, an old-growth hemlock forest near Greenbrier. Well said, the terrain here is different than a lot of places, even out west. All together this was the absolute worse place to have a fire at almost the worst time, save it was lucky to not have been a few weeks earlier. 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. Experience by itself often lends to complacency and been there done that thinking. 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. Officials identified Robert A. Hejny, 63, who was found at Traveler's Motel in Gatlinburg. Now I can only imagine what children or adults with issues might have gleaned from this message being broadcast. The radio conversation was fairly early in the day as I recall, maybe 7:30-8:00 am. State charges dropped in Gatlinburg fires - Smoky Mountain News I was surprised that we saw no one at the closed Chimneys parking area early morning when we drove by. I also wanted to let everyone know that the City and County is an example of nepotism at its finest. 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. Thanks Henry. Yes, there is backside-covering going on. The Bob Stanton that has been commenting on this thread is NOT the former director of the NPS. Drought, fall winds, fuel moistures that havent recovered in months, what part of this disaster was a surprise. Tunica, MS, from our area near Kansas City, to arrive late evening, that day, in Tunica. There is only one check point access at East Parkway (Hwy. The park should have been begging for help and putting out warnings all week end!!! I could not figure how to put pictures on Wildfire Today, so here are links to let you see whats happened in the Park. Will the NPS Fire Management leadership at the Regional, NIFC and Washington DC levels admit to some very poor policy and decision making problems associated with the Chimney Top 2 disaster? 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. Oct. 11, 2022, at 10:27 a.m. 1 Dead in Gatlinburg Fire That Affected Travel to Smokies. But all sitting back and doing nothing to help. Thanks again for this forum. Though once high winds hit, given the conditions there was no stopping the fire from destroying property. I hope this video puts people at ease that this fire is. It seems to me that the extreme wind was as unprecedented as the drought and the low stream levels. OF COURSE the dead hemlocks (and spruces and firs) are changing the picture for fire danger. Lets just be careful about who they are in our criticism. Here is one interview I gave to a Cincinnati station 2-3 days after the fire. Everyone should also know that this area is characterized by mountain laurel, in some areas nearby its so thick the only way through is on top it or if your lucky under on your belly. Though the drought and winds were undoubtedly an act of God (Psalms 148:8; 1st Kings 17:1), NPS and other officials were not left ignorant. In late 2016, wildfires . I understand the excellent point made in the article that history in the Smokies area would expect less of a problem than out West. I have a lot of pictures to share via my blog. My family lives 15 mi. Photos: Fire in Gatlinburg, Tennessee | Photo Galleries | herald We both were winded, nervous, and running to grab one change of clothes, night clothes, and tooth brushes. GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WVLT) - One person died and another was injured in a large fire in downtown Gatlinburg Sunday. (Bloomberg) -- Zoom Video Communications Inc. slumped in early trading Friday after abruptly terminating the employment of . Can fire experts examine burned areas and decipher the path of natural wildfire from managed ignited fires? Our neighbors 3 doors down were outside near their car. Lets look in the mirror before we are too quick to blame someone else. Out of all the issues evolving around negligence and what could have been done, etc. Try to stay neutral I understand; but the NPS has a track record of avoiding accountability. Standing dead hemlock burned up their trunks, to as high as 50 feet on one specimen I saw. I said a quick prayer for safety and we started up hill to leave our truck. If Im not mistaken, there is a Bob Stanton that was a former NPS Director. Honor. Being that were neighbors with these people, its people that we love. We checked the Spot Weather Forecasts that were requested by the NPS and issued by the NWS for the Chimney Tops 2 Fire. Unfortunately human lives were lost and hundreds of folks have been displaced. We stopped long enough to make sure they saw the fire coming and proceeded on down the mountain. Im sorry but that initial fire management at the outset was atrocious. The extremely dry conditions in the area, though, should have raised the concern level. 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 mountain boy who loves the harshest terrain even I couldnt imagine trying to run a fire line in this area. Paddlers prepare to hit the water for the return of the Kualoa Hakipuu Canoe Festival, Former Mililani High athletic director indicted, Hawaii police departments offer big incentives as competition for new recruits heats up, Stroke survivor's specially-modified bike returned, Midday Newscast: City proposes $300 tax credit for those with homeowner's exemption, 'The Other Side of Paradise' with Lynn Kawano, KHNLPUBLICFILE@HAWAIINEWSNOW.COM (808) 847-3246, KGMBPUBLICFILE@HAWAIINEWSNOW.COM (808) 847-3246, KFVEPUBLICFILE@HAWAIINEWSNOW.COM (808) 847-3246, KSIXPUBLICFILE@HAWAIINEWSNOW.COM (808) 847-3246, KOGGPUBLICFILE@HAWAIINEWSNOW.COM (808) 847-3246. The Gatlinburg fire chief put out a notice for additional help to come to Gatlinburg around 11:52 pm. All downtown sidewalks reopened as permanent fencing around the building was installed by the property owner following the fire. However, by the time a federal judge dropped the charges six months later, some had lost focus on the fire. For almost 24 hours a day for 10 days or more, I read everything I could about Gatlinburg, and even found Wildfire Today during that By the time the troops were called in, it was too late. Needless to say one tanker run can drop more water than two helicopters can do in a full day. They will be touched in their heart as deeply as anyone who has lost in the tragedy itself. And each structure became much more of a threat than the spreading ground fire ever was. They didnt for one reason in my humble opinion: $$$ Report: Gatlinburg fire caused $7 million in damages I would like to express that there are sincere and dedicated folks working for the National Park Service. 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 thought if we were have to leave we could take both vehicles to our friends house to sit out the night. I have been on both sides of that equation before and still real-ling from my own losses that will negatively affect me and my family for life, because no one took the time to question or look into the story presented to them by those authorities in charge. The whole thing is unconscionable to me. Earlier on Tuesday, media reported that a man was arrested for setting three fires that spread into a 300-acre fire in. Read more Tennessee Wildfire Cause: Gatlinburg Fires May Have Been Man-Made, Officials Claim is an article from: The Inquisitr News. I told him there wasnt when I got there at 5 oclock but I could not even see driveways on the way up. It is important to look at many facets, evidence and root cause studies so that the issues can be resolved. Your are correct; and we all pray and hope for the community to get back on their feet again. I saw Wyoming and Colorado engines being demobalized after containment. 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 ? To successfully allow a fire to burn for a long period of time requires VERY skilled personnel and luck. On Wednesday, November 23, 2016 a hiker on the popular Chimney Tops Trail managed to capture a photo of two teenage boys dropping lit matches on the trail despite the current no-burn order in the area. I certainly agree there are definitely consequences for our actions, for some more than others. (Credit: Tom Williams), Two people in custody after police chase, manhunt near Warrior & Hayden, Protest held in memory of Glenn Foster Junior, Fire department K-9 dies during search and rescue mission. The person or people responsible for the fire have not yet been found. This is a developing story. Any person involved in any sort of firefighting/fire ecology/fire control/fire management profession learns these basic fire physic scientific principals from day oneeither from formal training or through hands on fire behavior observations . Instead simply took pictures on their phone, 3. TEMA had the power and authority, yet did nothing until Hell was at their door. 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 would like to insert the word, accountability into this discussion. teams had Lake Lure and Tate City evacuate when high winds were forecast. The aptly named Fire Cherry, Beech and Mtn. Why are there not more prescribed and controlled burns being conducted? Hasnt anyone noticed that friends groups are paying for major park infrastructure and various other projects that our Congress has failed to provide for? So many unanswered questions? How did I know that? Death toll rises to 13 in Tennessee wildfires as grim search for It would make suppression efforts difficult, but a fire break could have been constructed around the original slow-moving fire in the early days. Officials keep repeating that nothing like this has ever happened here before so they cant be responsible. She saw a fire and called 911. Until 1 p.m. sustained speeds were 4 to 6 mph with gusts at 12 to 19 mph. Gatlinburg businesses look to rebuild after massive fire. There are other potential hazards that make unplanned evacuations a danger in that area. We couldnt go up Motor Nature Trail so we went back to Cherokee Orchard Road. The fire on Sunday caused extensive damage to a block of businesses and left some with only charred debris, news outlets reported, citing a statement from the city. When the rain started again at 8 a.m. the relative humidity rose into the 90s. I was in my cabin the night of the fire and if I had spotted it a minute or so after I did I would not be alive to type this right now. I think thats pretty cut and dry and yes its their fault that they didnt at least try and do something. (The fire was in eastern Tennessee near the North Carolina border.). If I had even been in the bathroom or downstairs I wouldve died . This is a failure at the city, county and state levels, as well as top FEMA, leadership. 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 . We left Monday the 28th around 10:30 A.M. we could smell smoke but our home was fine and so was all of the rest of them in Chalet Village North. The electricity goes out almost everytime there is a high wind. During fire suppression efforts, crews found one person dead inside the structure. Money. The governors promised investigation has yet to appear (if it ever will), but the National Parks investigation is proceeding and no locals are on that team. In a time in which the NPS and all other government agencies are under attack and certain factions are seeking to replace all our government agencies with private for profit industry I would not ignore the possibility of anything. 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. Shame on you. Gatlinburg Fire Cause: Who Started the Wildfire? | Heavy.com The fire had spread to Mynatt Park in Gatlinburg, and people were being evacuated from neighborhood there. A mandatory evacuation should have been issued, at the latest, Monday morning, with reverse 911 calls, as well as loudspeaker equipped vehicles.

What Happened To The Oath With Chuck Rosenberg, Fyre Documentary Summary, Singapore Airlines Newsroom, Lighthouse Church Glen Burnie Service Times, Articles W