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. I am not one to Monday Morning Quarterback, because none of us have all the information and really we all have limited information, no one person knows it all; but as a citizen with background knowledge, experience, training, risk and situational awareness, the potential was clearly predictable days in advance of the aggressive action. The learning system of resolution. The park needs to share accountability in this situation, and all of us who have formerly worked in fire realize this. There are A lot of cheap seats in the arena filled with people who never venture onto the floor. Many structures were lost- thankfully no lives. GRSM posted Fire Information signs in the area explaining their monitoring strategy due to vertical cliffs, narrow rock ridges and steep drainages. Gatlinburg businesses look to rebuild after massive fire The winds were blowing from the Chimneys more down the mountain than up toward LeConte. Our Gatlinburg Inn was built on family and community. Lied too by Gatlinburg or Sevier County officials? If it was felt that people on this fire were at risk then dont staff the fire. On the radio, a man in the Forestry truck was somewhere around the Roaring Fork area (as I recall) looking for possible spot fires reported near a residence and was talking about the strong winds. Those probably did not finish burning for several days. Who caused the fire in Gatlinburg? We probably wont want to attribute 14 deaths to a non-native insect infestation, but in the end, can we say it exacerbated the situation? I said a quick prayer for safety and we started up hill to leave our truck. Not to lay blame or punishment but as a real learning tool for improvement of service provision. GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) Firefighters have found a body in the remains of a building that burned in downtown Gatlinburg, officials said. China Bazaar, Pucker's Sports Grill, Gifts of Gatlinburg, and Caf 420 were all deemed a complete loss. Just a quick comment per above posts. Im totally with you accountability. How did all the downtown businesses know to close and send their employees home, but not one word of warning was given to homeowners/residents? I left the professional fire service with 3o plus years of experience, yet with a still learning and observant mind. Later it changed to a mandatory evacuation. What really was going on here? How about that for arm chair quarter backing. Waited a month to report this event and turn over the pictures they took to forestry officials! But there have also been many times when these so called experts were thrust into a different climate or situation and they too experienced failures. Alice Hagler was reported missing by her family and later confirmed dead. I called Bob back and told him I was leaving hurriedly and that I would call him when we had made it out of woods to Pigeon Forge. 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. The public cannot sit on their hands and expect anything to change. The next morning, the morning of 28th, I took boys to school and went to a dr. appointment in Sevierville. Years ago, the NPS wasnt maintaining the churches in Cades Cove of the Smokies. It was gorgeous -huge, huge trees, open forest floor, very dark, very cool, very moist. We had better see something besides suggestions for new warning systems and making people that are rebuilding their homes put in overly expensive sprinkler systems that way they can say to the press they made major strides and changes and they learned from the fire. Those strong southerly winds had been forecast a good two days before the fire broke through into the developed areas. 6 to the intersection at Reagen Drive reopened Monday afternoon after being closed Sunday morning, according to a release. notice should have been at 5-6 given the wind. One week before the fire, a backcountry ranger confronted people that had built a fire at Alum Cave Bluffs. Body found in rubble of Gatlinburg fire - wtvq.com In fact, Monday afternoon several rental agencies were telling reservation customers to come on to Gatlinburg (news documented). A temporary evacuation refuge with limited services is located at Max Hasse Community Park . 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. That didnt happen here. This was done to simply to avoid tort liability claims even though a claim was filed; and to avoid accountability. Much of the southeastern United States had been suffering extremely dry conditions for two to three months. Teddy Roosevelt, who as you may know, was instrumental in establishing our national parks. I wish the Feds had kept the case instead of handing it off to the local DA. I am just saying that it is not necessary to lynch someone in order to hold them accountable. 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. Out east our experience is usually ground fire with relatively less risk of widespread destruction. In late 2016, wildfires . I wish some barracuda Attorney would take this on and represent the property owners in a lawsuit to try to recuperate some of our losses, any takers? level, in advance of this disaster had occured. By NPS rules a watch should have been kept on the fire overnight Sunday, but such did not happen. There was much deadwood on the forest floor, including the Hemlocks and other species both down and standing dead. Thus, private, State, or other agencies get left holding the bag, as it were. Cafe 420 and Gifts of Gatlinburg were also destroyed. The dead hemlock had to have been of huge impact to the fire. 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. The Chimneys functionally act as the head of a canyon leading directly to downtown Gatlinburg. I agree that there needs to to be a change of attitude about climate change, wildfire potential in the east, an adaptation to changing conditions and a throwing out of the holding on to the been there done that, know all there is to know, seen this before thinking and the holding onto a world that used to be. Now he has the benefit of another 60 to 90 days of another investigation before anything officially or otherwise will be said. Nonetheless, it is obvious to some folks that the NPS did not act aggressive enough on this fire. When we got to the bottom of the mountain, we ran into the Sevier County Electric crew where the road was blocked. The Gatlinburg fire chief put out a notice for additional help to come to Gatlinburg around 11:52 pm. Many on that team are not NPS employees, but are highly experienced wildfire fighters. Unfortunately this isnt always the case. I went back a few years ago and it was completely different. Nearly five years. A lot of personnel put forth heroic efforts to save lives and we should all be grateful for that. These people both the successful along with the ones who erred and experienced failure, courageously risked being vulnerable in order to help others. Now I am tasked with trying to motivate and coordinate the local fire departments much of who are volunteer, the state and national forest professionals to work with me and the community. We had a contractor there working on improvements to our house. I parked truck right beside a big mound of rip rap that Bob had dumped for lining the ditches on sides of our neighborhood roads, which arent through roads. Nearby businesses feel the same. The man at the Forestry base told him the winds were predicted to keep getting stronger and to be careful of falling limbs. Published: Oct. 11, 2022 at 5:31 PM PDT GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WVLT) - Four downtown Gatlinburg businesses are picking up the pieces after a fire Sunday morning destroyed their building. Stumps burned into the ground and look like volcano caldera. 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. Their soft wood holds a lot of moisture normally, but the conditions the past few months would have dried the limbs and outer layers up the trunk. My boys and I do not have images of wildfires that we would have seen had we waited to leave home. Who allowed this to happen? Typically instead of outright termination, the NPS is classic just to relocate the personnel and in some cases give them a promotion to keep them happy and from whistle-blowing; or just live in a delusional world of denial. And we were lucky. Not sure why it matters, but you offered such a specific time, thought I would offer info to possibly make it more accurate. My husband and I were at our house in Gatlinburg, just north of the Park Vista, on the night of the fire. The miracle is that more people did not Fire Tears Through Downtown Gatlinburg (TN) Mall; One Person Killed However, I still wonder why there has been no word from the governor about the post-fire review team he promised. I would suggest that you read over Bills articles on this site regarding NPS releases information about the Chimney Tops Fire 2 and Analysis of wind, vegetation, and air tankers before the fire burned into Gatlinburg. Their are undoubtedly many many causative factors for any disaster, even the actions, inactions and unintentional actions can be like a snowball rolling down a mountain of snow! At this time, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation officials were contacted, according to the report. Thanks Henry. The leaves that had hung on into late Fall because of lack of winds and rain for months began to rain from the trees in copious amounts and there were leaf funnels forming and it was hard as we ran from cabin to car loading Abram and Lady. My wife and I hiked to Alum Cave Bluffs Saturday, Nov. 26, while the fire was small up on the Chimneys. Hemlocks standout on aerial photos because the limbs grow in a spiral pattern around the tree. Report: Gatlinburg fire caused $7 million in damages Granted these fires werent inside Gatlinburg, but the fire chief knew full well the potential for catastrophic wildfires in these mountains. If Knox media wanted to go after the NPS or someone else wanted them to, it is possible that even their timeline and investigation is slanted. Wildfire experts have been warning local government officials about the potential for a fire of this magnitude for years. It is now time for aircraft (usually helicopters) to start washing the fire off the hill. I guess they are helping the people they always help and the rest of us are out of luck. That said, it is always easier for those outside of the forest to see the big picture then those who are standing inside the trees down on the forest floor. This year has been crazy, with so many fires happening in Autumn. 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. Not every fire manager gets the benefit of a meteorologist in your hip pocket, but there are many good weather websites available. The individual was identified as Joe Martin Bates, 54, according to the Sevier County Medical Examiners office. Report: Gatlinburg fire caused $7 million in damages. Why? because poor, inadequate human decision making allowing basic fire physics, fire chemistry and TIME to align resulting in avoidable death and destruction! 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. If they do work as a pair, do they set multiple fires in the same area? When I arrived in Branson at the hotel I was close to a fire exit, and frankly forgot about my nightmare. Were here to rally and support those people until they can get back up on their feet, said Laura Rippetoe of the Gatlinburg Inn. As they are minors, nothing else is known other than the Feds said the State could prosecute. (Originally published at 11:04 a.m. MST November 23 . The massive Gatlinburg wildfires, which began in November, caused the deaths of 14 people, injured 175 others and destroyed homes and towns all around eastern Tennessee. One person was found dead Sunday. 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. It is a truism that many people want all the benefits of government, but dont want to pay for them. For reference, 600 or above would indicate severe drought andincreased wildfire occurrence. Whether a tornado, hurricane or natural disaster, it weighs on your psyche. It is no wonder that the people do not trust Government. A similar fire occurred on English Mountain. 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. Just the mechanics of this devastating wildfire without any editorial comments. Until 1 p.m. sustained speeds were 4 to 6 mph with gusts at 12 to 19 mph. The NPS protected themselves and other special interest groups as well. How the Historic Gatlinburg Fires Happened; a Humble Start - GovTech We are facing some very large problems around our globe and in our own home communities, that will require some out of the box thinking and collaboration, some tough questions, and a lot of personal accountability review and growth. I appreciate how articulately you described your thoughts. 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. Arson charges dropped against teens accused in deadly Gatlinburg - WJLA Standing dead hemlock burned up their trunks, to as high as 50 feet on one specimen I saw. Experience in itself is never enough. 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 ? They couldnt get out a cell mssg. During the investigation, fire officials interviewed a cleaner of Loco Burro who saw a person matching Bates description the morning of the fire. 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. Though once high winds hit, given the conditions there was no stopping the fire from destroying property. Instead simply took pictures on their phone, 3. Nothing happens in a vacuum. The Seiver County Medical Examiner's office identified the man as 54-year-old Joe Martin Bates, according to the City of Gatlinburg. Will there be an independent, non-federal agency, through,unbiased, unedited final incident management and serious accident investigation? Thanks again for your touching reply. I can feel for the service providers and the devastated fire victims. It is very hard and slow to navigate through laurel stands and the thick Tennesee Barbed Wire Briar patches. Ever since Hurricane Katrina, I have doubted the ability of our emergency managers to plan for any aspect of, or kind of disaster, and the fire in Gatlinburg only supports my concerns. January 4, 2017 at 5:26 pm Resident of Western Maryland. Both east and west forks of the Pigeon River. Henry, do you know the effect of the typical southeastern forest ground fires on the hemlock adelgid? There may be some validity in the DA doing that, but it sure calls their integrity into question. A year or two ago, there was a small fire on Rocky Spur on the Rainbow Falls Trail up Mt. These folks do this often in situations in which they have little control over much of the situation or outcomes. 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. Thanks again for this forum. A mandatory evacuation should have been issued, at the latest, Monday morning, with reverse 911 calls, as well as loudspeaker equipped vehicles. When human death is involved, there should be accountability, even if there is unintentional negligence. NO managing wildfire is much more complex, especially in a multiple fire drought driven incident like managers were dealing with on this incident. Did the 14th fire discreetly burn in the duff amid rock cervices? That factor is the density of residential development, layout of roads, and approved building materials present in that area. 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. Take my word for it, Ive seen back scratching going on down there for over 40 years. Multiple businesses were destroyed in the flames, totaling an estimated $7 million in damage. There is simply too much BS. Also I just came across a facebook page showing two views of the same interchange in Gatlinburg at 10:28 and 10:52. Since we had been planning all day to go downtown to play trivia at Smoky Mountain Brewery, we left the house about 5:55PM. The high winds were forecasted on the 25th, 2016. This openness which allows for both expression of feeling and diversity of thought and ideas will be what drives our ability to fix the complex issues we are faced with, and to grow as human individuals, groups and nations. You cannot sit and watch a fire in the mountains this close to a town and not call in lots of HELP!!! We spent Thanksgiving there with our family, who left on Sunday. I believe God was speaking to me early in the day on 28th and I am grateful for the ability He blessed me with to get out of Gatlinburg early.. 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.. Being an avid mountain hiker, I had seen evidence of fires from decades ago (Graveyard Fields being a macro example, but most prior fires in the forest were just like the ones this fall floor duff and fallen dead wood). I dont have the statistics to prove what you wrote is incorrect, but I am convinced that it is not a fact to say most of the fires that are monitored (as opposed to fully suppressed) escape outside the agencys borders. 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. Updated: Dec. 25, 2022 at 6:15 PM PST. 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. We need to question everything and everyone with the same tenacious veracity as the other, but we also need to allow for humans to be human, and engage in the process of learning. There will be no access to Wiley Oakley or Westgate from the Spur. Birmingham City close training ground after fire causes damage Fire aboard Spirit plane causes emergency landing, sends 10 to hospital I just assumed that others would be leaving Gatlinburg out of concerns similar to mine. Where was all the HELP TO PUT THIS FIRE OUT A WHEN IT STARTED???? Oh thats right they did but it was after everything burned! They lost phone coverage but didnt activate the Motorola wide area radio system. I was on the Party Rock fire in NC and our IMET was predicting that storm event 3-4 days before it happened. I have to assume that the city of Gatlinburg felt that since my road was county property that I was on my own. A spokesperson for the city said the Gatlinburg Fire Department was dispatched to the 700 block of Parkway in downtown Gatlinburg at 6:39 a.m. on October 9. A stroke in 2011 left Akaka partially paralyzed and unable to speak but he didn't need words to express his joy to be reunited with it. A map posted with the Fire Information sign dated November 27 showed that the park hoped to stopthe fire before it crossed the bottom of drainages on the west, north and east sides, and the Chimney Tops Trail to the south. As a contractor I worked with a Dunes engine in Michigan MI years ago. Two Hawaii police departments are making moves to beef up incentives as recruiting efforts grow more competitive. Jon Binhammer had an excellent point about the hemlocks. Down hemlocks are mostly just gone. Out of all the issues evolving around negligence and what could have been done, etc. Gatlinburg Fire Department crews responded to the scene and received help from Pigeon Forge Fire Department, Pigeon Forge Police Department, Sevierville Fire Department, Pittman Center Volunteer Fire Department, Sevier County Emergency Management Agency, Sevier County Medical Examiners Office and Sevier County Ambulance Services. Download the WATE 6 News app or sign up for our email alerts for updates. I spent two weeks in the area after the fire to inspect my property and ascertain where my wife and I would go from there. I was on the phone w them that Mon. Kelly, Lloyd and anyone else that had home and/or businesses losses from the fire, tell everyone involved to write and/or call the governors office about what is going on. Even Congressman from east TN and western NC need to here it. It just so happens that at this time hundreds of fires were subsequently being started all around the south! All weekend, my husband and daughter followed the fire on the Chimney Tops 2 facebook page NPS had established. Every business downtown was closed except for Bubba Gumps. On November 27 the fire was a third of a mileas the crow flies from US Highway 441. Not because I am a teller of fortune. Its community and people that have jobs. At the official Gatlinburg weather station recognized by the NWS 0.73 inch was recorded on Tuesday. Take a look at the Chimney Tops Fire of Nov 14th, 2016 and you really might begin to question what really went wrong here. The Spur or US 441 runs between Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg in the Smokies. Brush fires spread across multiple counties this afternoon in Southwest Florida due to high winds. Visited Gatlinburg for the first time in Oct 2016. This is how we all get better at what we do and are. Thanks for the good fact based, solid coverage of the events leading up to the fire. 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. 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 fire, which was reported at 6:39 a.m. Sunday in the 700 block of Parkway,. 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. the downtown fire on Oct. 9 that killed one person and injured another. This leads to continuation of the same issues over and over because the root of the problems are not being dealt with, and therefore it is just a matter of time before another failure occurs and someone else becomes the blamed one, totally ignoring the real issues. Be sure to bring valid forms of identification showing name and address of residence or business inside Gatlinburg. 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. 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. That seems to be confirmation that the fire had crossed 441 early in the day. Tennessee firefighters find dead body in remains of Gatlinburg building The age of information is both eye opening and scary, the potential for manipulation is astounding! I can name 14 people who deserved much better! A complex set of contributing factors no doubt, many that fell on deaf ears until they had to open eyes! Thought among the locals is that officials didnt want to lose the post-holiday weekend crowd and revenue. 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. The identities of the three killed have not been released . At 3:00PM I convinced my husband to call the Gatlinburg Fire Dept. All the guy in the truck told us was that they had dug a fire line and were told to wait here. Then another large red pickup came down from Turkey Nest Road and stopped in front of us. The body of an unidentified person was found amid the rubble of a downtown section of buildings that. 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. In addition, officials confirmed that a firefighter was transported to the hospital with minor injuries from the fire but has since been released. ATF, other agencies search for cause of blaze that claimed life of

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