We could smell smoke from the fires in NC for a month before the fire began on Chimney Tops. There was much deadwood on the forest floor, including the Hemlocks and other species both down and standing dead. I learned that it is extremely difficult to manage, rather than suppress, a wildland fire for an extended period of time. Not sure why it matters, but you offered such a specific time, thought I would offer info to possibly make it more accurate. That would mean your timeline of the last water drop would possibly vary 15-45 minutes depending on the helibase location and flight time to the dipsite. It was the hottest summer we ever felt. Person killed in downtown Gatlinburg fire identified Fire crews were dispatched to a structure fire around 6:30. 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. My writing comes from the heart! In Gatlinburg, smoke and fire caused the mandatory evacuation of downtown and surrounding . We stopped long enough to make sure they saw the fire coming and proceeded on down the mountain. Thats why I refused to use a local contractor. I heard a comment that people have the use common sense. The person or people responsible for the fire have not yet been found. He had been experiencing the high winds back West all day and was alarmed at possibilities as well. This truck was also filled with firefighters. Updated: Dec. 25, 2022 at 6:15 PM PST. There could be falling trees. The age of information is both eye opening and scary, the potential for manipulation is astounding! This makes no logical sense. If an aircraft will be en route to a lit helibase or airport, they can drop 30 minutes after sunset then fly to the lit facility. Jim Renfro, the air quality specialist for GRSM, said the strongest wind gust recorded at Cove Mountain was 87 mph at 9 p.m. on Monday. They are just as clandestine of a secret society as the city officials of Gatlinburg and Sevier County. They were asleep at the wheel. The learning system of resolution. At least one of them drove up the street below our house and parked there for about an hour. 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. 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. Here is one interview I gave to a Cincinnati station 2-3 days after the fire. Experience by itself often lends to complacency and been there done that thinking. Are city and county officials learning to use the expensive Motorola radio system that would have allowed various agencies to communicate when cell service went down? Do arsonists typically work alone? Im not saying GRSM made the right or wrong decision, there is just a lot more involved then saying they didnt suppress it promptly. 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. Branches were hitting the house with a great deal of force. At that time their were no burn permits or building permit requirements either. While my husband tried to rake the leaves away more than once, they blew right back in. Needless to say one tanker run can drop more water than two helicopters can do in a full day. Late Monday afternoon the Gatlinburg Fire Department began informing some residents of a voluntary evacuation. So whether the defendants started the 14th fire or not, a close examination of this Facebook press release indicates the fire apparently started on the 13th; and yet a social media photo post claims the 12th clearly showing a lack of response once again in fire suppression by the NPS. I can name 14 people who deserved much better! 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. Conspiracy, no. (PETER PARKS/AFP via Getty Images) Chan estimated the insurance claim could . There are hundreds of hemlock skeletons heading north from Chimney Rock. People lost their lives and homes because no warnings!!! May God look out for all of you in your time of loss. The Bob Stanton that has been commenting on this thread is NOT the former director of the NPS. My husband and I were at our house in Gatlinburg, just north of the Park Vista, on the night of the fire. But the condition of the fuel was also important since it happenedduring what the National Weather Service (NWS) calls exceptional drought conditions. Until theyre able to return, Neddo hates to see the Gatlinburg Parkway location gone, but he hopes the next place will be even better. GSMNP Facebook has pulled comments, photos, and replies as well in regard to the 14th fire. By the way, the drainage to the northwest, where NPS had placed their line, is .2 mile and ~1,000 feet vertical (77% grade) of mostly weathered rock. Try to stay neutral I understand; but the NPS has a track record of avoiding accountability. Hit it with all you have the Moment it breaks out.. night at 9pm when mom said there was evacuation notice on TV. Who can or will hold them accountable for their part in this tragedy? 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. . It is not a black and white world, not a this or that, it is all encompassing. The Chimney Tops fire was a wildfire being monitored given limited resources initially because of the many other ongoing fires in the region to which fire-fighting resources were committed. A lot of chainsawing has been going on. 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. Sorry to hear that you lost your house, but you followed your wits which kept you from getting stuck there by downed trees over the road. Holding the responsible people accountable is the only course of action that honors what was lost. The successes, and the losses, the poor decisions, the mistakes, the error and the failures. Case in point is our European religious history. It appears that only TEMA has the authority to give a notice over multiple counties, but they didnt take the lead until Monday night, after the fact. Would the apparent 24 hour plus monitoring bring into question a lack of response to suppress the fire considering the exceptional drought and excessive fuels? 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. Vincent Gabrielle, Knoxville News Sentinel. Experience in itself is never enough. 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. Download the WATE 6 News app or sign up for our email alerts for updates. Charges dropped against youths accused in Gatlinburg wildfires We are excited to start new memories and get back on the trails. Not just putting out the fires, but restoring the forest and trails afterward. Thanksgiving Day Global Supertanker 747 is responding to wild fires in Israel. The use of smokejumpers could be part of the plan. Thank you for this excellent synopsis. It predicted wind gusts out of the south Monday morning of 25 mph, increasing atnoonto30 mph and to 40 mph by 6 p.m. 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. And we were lucky. Bob had stayed in West TN after Thanksgiving, to work there for a few days before returning home so he wasnt with us. 1 dead in Anchorage home fire that officials say was likely caused by OnMonday, 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 caused the deaths of 14people. of them backing up and saying this isnt our problem we are carrying on just like always. It is truly appreciated. The helicopter worked until it had to refuel and then two other Type 1 helicopters took its placeuntil dark. Great info/synopsis of the Gatlinburg/Sevier county wildfires. Were here to rally and support those people until they can get back up on their feet, said Laura Rippetoe of the Gatlinburg Inn. Travelers are urged to avoid the area at this time. Fire crews were dispatched to a structure fire around 6:30. Officials said three people. I love the mountains, but can I feel safe again? Since November 29 it has rained about every 2 to 3 daysin the Gatlinburg area. This lack of serious response is all too obvious. At 10AM we drove to Sevierville to buy more materials (to eventually add to the bonfire). 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. I think thats pretty cut and dry and yes its their fault that they didnt at least try and do something. 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. That and your wish to pay 50% income tax and there will never be a fire again! My prayers are with all of you. Not every fire manager gets the benefit of a meteorologist in your hip pocket, but there are many good weather websites available. Former Gatlinburg fire chief reflects as new wildfires burn - WTVF That said, we are now in the rebuild mode. The diff. Hemlocks standout on aerial photos because the limbs grow in a spiral pattern around the tree. Officials identified Robert A. Hejny, 63, who was found at Traveler's Motel in Gatlinburg. They had the same weather forecast information. Instead simply took pictures on their phone, 3. What are they doing? We believed the firefighters were going to stop the fire from entering the city. The wind remained at moderate strength on Wednesday with gusts decreasing from 37 at 3 a.m. to the lower teens by the end of the day. 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. There are a lot of excellent experienced fire management staff working for the Park Service. Some of those GSMNP personnel were trained out west and know how fast a wildfire spreads in high winds. It was probably 4:45 by this time. 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. This appears to be the case once again. I have an Gatlinburg address but the county services my street. We warned them about the approaching fire before turning the opposite direction to proceed on downtown. What did City officials not understand about the approaching danger? Thanks Henry. Bill thank you the excellent i sight and info that is hard to find publicly. Early in the afternoon we began to see large crewcab pickup trucks driving past our home. Alice Hagler was reported missing by her family and later confirmed dead. The report said the fire was an accident and caused around $7 million in damages. Who caused the fire in Gatlinburg? I am a property owner in the Lake of the Ozarks, in Missouri, and oddly enough, had just returned from a trip to Branson, Missouri. Corker and Alexander know what would happen if they tried to interfere with a Federal prosecution! Sandra, I agree. Nicely put together article. Most of those people got out of the pre-evac zone just to be safe and watch the fire at a distance. 865-637-2442. Id just like to ask folks to think about If prior experience of fires in the region may have betrayed fire managers this time. Obviously spent no time in the military so they didnt know how to field dress A cigarette and pack it out. What caused the Gatlinburg wildfire? - al.com There will be legal repercussions because of incompetence. People responsible during the initial stages of the Chimney Top 2 wildfire need to be held accountable for violating these basic rules of fire physicsperiod.
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