Fourteen people lost their lives. 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. I am astounded at the amount of information, expertise, warning, and awareness of imminent danger was present and available in this situation. He asked them how or who we could contact to get emergency information. We do have insurance however based on the prices for clean up there it wont go far enough to build back. I look forward to seeing the report when it comes out. What Caused the Gatlinburg Fire of 2016? Here's the Real Story They have tied their hands and resources through environmental forestry management. Do arsonists typically work alone? Now he has the benefit of another 60 to 90 days of another investigation before anything officially or otherwise will be said. Just looking at media coverage on the evacuation order public messaging snafu points out that this fire will provide many lessons learned for future fire managers. A guy in the red pickup rolled down his window and said You have to get out of here! My husband and I turned around, drove back to the Parkway and out the Spur to Pigeon Forge. 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. Here is one interview I gave to a Cincinnati station 2-3 days after the fire. The adelgid apparently needs the rougher bark of older trees to climb up the trunk to the greenery on which they feed. I thought if we were have to leave we could take both vehicles to our friends house to sit out the night. This was part of our retirement plan and now all we have left is a lot, we lost a lot of money that we will never be able to recuperate. Anyone who has toured the hillsides where most of the homes that were destroyed would know immediately how difficult evacuations would be. Shelter locations could have been announced, especially encouraging people to take action during the daylight hours that day so that escaping in total darkness during an inferno of fire or not having the means to do so would not be forced on people, and they could make arrangements for their own safety. 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. You can see in the leaf pattern around it how a strong gust pushed up against the side of the house. Businesses affected by the fire include Puckers Sports Bar, China Bazaar, Cafe 420, and Gifts of Gatlinburg, according to WVLT News crews on the scene. It would be interesting to dig a little further on this. The status of individual structures in the Gatlinburg area can be found at arcgiscom. Narrowing it down to human-causes is easy for an investigator. GFD officials examined the scene and found a body, later identified as Joe Martin Bates, in Suite 4. The power of nature is awesome and often far beyond our ability to predict and react to in a timely manner. Visited Gatlinburg for the first time in Oct 2016. Instead simply took pictures on their phone, 3. We watched the news the rest of evening. At about 5:20 p.m. the fire was discoverednear the top of a steep hill called Chimney Tops not far from where another fire occurred about a week before. It is unfortunate that sometimes a few seek to blame someone so quickly that they miss the opportunity to really get to the root of the causes for those issues in the first place. The individual was identified as Joe Martin Bates, 54, according to the Sevier County Medical Examiners office. From an all hazards POV large scale fire should have been recognized long before any drought conditions. Click here. If you take a hands off approach with minimal management and indirectly Play God look out. First rule of any structure fire or wildfire. There will be no access to Wiley Oakley or Westgate from the Spur. 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! The decisions that worked made us heroes, and those that did not changed us if we were allowed that opportunity. Please factor this in to your fire response in the future. CNN A wildfire burning near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Sevier County, Tennessee, has grown to more than 3,700 acres and impacted more than 100 structures, County Mayor Larry. Just like the Mayor of Amity in Jaws, they didnt want the tourists to see this much reality. 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. Was it ever fully suppressed? 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??? Four downtown Gatlinburg businesses are picking up the pieces, after a fire Sunday morning destroyed their building. 1 dead in Anchorage home fire that officials say was likely caused by These fires were allowed to cook with little or no suppression action. Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge wildfire evacuation information - WJBF I saw Wyoming and Colorado engines being demobalized after containment. 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. I can hear it now, hasnt the NPS learned anything in the past 10-20 yrs? According to FOX 5's Matthew Cappucci the smoke plume got to about 3,600 feet and . And no doubt books both factual and not on this event. I would recommend reviewing Wildfire Todays post titled: NPS releases information about the Chimneys Tops Fire 2 as well as the post Analysis of wind, vegetation, and air tankers before the fire burned into Gatlinburg. All rights reserved. Lets see what reviews done by people with expertise in wildland fire management come up with. Contingency plans for how to evacuate the entire town, regardless of the specific hazard, were not well thought out. Hong Kong skyscraper fire could mean $64M payout, cause under investigation Most excellently put, Jeannine (you are an exceptional writer). 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. There seems to be many people who just dont get that their are many areas in these mountains and in rural America that are no tech zones. This goes all the way to our Congress and irresponsible, blind, budget cutting exercises. Below is a comment I posted from New Sentinel article about Gatlinburg fire, Wildfire Today something that undoubtedly should be investigated as well as compared to their actions of the 23rd to 28th Chimney Tops Fire 2: Officials are evasive and vague about the 1st Chimney Tops Fire. 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. Rippetoe hopes the destruction isnt there much longer and all businesses lost can return. You certainly got it right when you said that sometimes government does not listen and it takes a loud voice. What about firefighter safety? Two Hawaii police departments are making moves to beef up incentives as recruiting efforts grow more competitive. This data from Indian Grave was not too far offthe forecast issued the day before. One thing Id add: the county is allowing residents that lost their home to use their existing block or poured foundation as long as they have one of their local cemetacious experts test it and approve it. Impressive. We checked the Spot Weather Forecasts that were requested by the NPS and issued by the NWS for the Chimney Tops 2 Fire. The wildfire began burning in a remote location of the park (Chimney Tops) in steep terrain with vertical cliffs and narrow rocky ridges, making access to the wildfire area . Emotions do get the best of us. One Person Dead After Downtown Gatlinburg Fire Sunday Also, for the last several decades, NPS policies have allowed these excessive fuels to build. I could not figure how to put pictures on Wildfire Today, so here are links to let you see whats happened in the Park. Which is why human history keeps repeating itself over and over. Officials will verify renters and lease holders, as needed. Ash move in quickly after a fire, and through the yearly process of shedding their leaves, make it difficult for seeds from the Red Spruce/Fraser Fir/Hemlocks to make an effective seed-soil contact, thus when we lose one of these magnificent evergreen forests, it truly is a tragedy in more ways than one. When I came out of dr. office, which is located on Middle Creek close to hospital, the atmosphere was eerie. I told him my home was on fire and he said they were evacuating everyone,then. I have memories of the endless mountainous terrain, but the vast development that came into being, came well after my trip there. What caused the Gatlinburg wildfire? - al.com It means they eliminated natural causes, such as lightning and volcano eruptions. Humans will never be able to control or suppress all unwanted fires-structure, chemical or wildland. 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. Many are willing to allow the absolute open permission to some to behave as they will without question, but are unwilling to allow others the same room to learn and grow. Drought, fall winds, fuel moistures that havent recovered in months, what part of this disaster was a surprise. Shame on you. The forecasts from the 24th through the 26th did not predict the extreme weather that began Monday, November 28. Gatlinburg fire: Body found in blaze rubble, cause of fire under On Sunday when GSMNP called in helicopter water drops, there were 3 fire tanker planes sitting on the runway 20 minutes away in Chattanooga (covered in Wildfire Today). According to a news release dated Nov. 25 from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Public Affairs Office, the fires started on Chimney Tops Trail a few miles south of Gatlinburg, off U.S. 441 . No evacuation orders issued- If I had gone to work that day my two sons would be dead. Something broke down here and at the risk of not being PC the important thing is that the issues are discovered and learning takes place followed by action. 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. He and the other NPS staff there regularly went on out of state assignments. A massive wildfire in the Tennessee resort towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge has destroyed more than 150 structures, including homes and businesses, authorities said Tuesday. 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. I get free speech, but if I yelled fire in a crowded theater when there was none and it contributed to death and injury I too would be held liable; my speech would not be protected! One only has to imagine a single downed power line starting a structure fire at the same time the wildfire was approaching to understand how the great loss of property and life actually happened. Susan, He asked them if they had any information on the fire and they told him Youve got nothing to worry about. By this time the wind was blowing hard and strong. A few scattered, mostly Red Spruce, conifers are all that is left. View all posts by Bill Gabbert. They are as Brene Brown puts it, In The Arena; not merely sitting in a seat watching it or viewing from a comfort zone at home on the big screen but in the Arena risking everything for others. 119K views 4 months ago GATLINBURG Many people get worried when they hear the words Gatlinburg and Fire in the same sentence. GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) Firefighters have found a body in the remains of a building that burned in . A true lackadaisical response. Once again: the questions remain unanswered. The more we let our selves be vulnerable and courageous in the face of tough situations, the more chance that we have that we will fall, and we will; we all will at some point if we take that risk to be brave and courageous. One indicator of drought and its effect on how wildfires burn is the Keetch-Byram Drought Index(KBDI). I hope they end up being involved in the biggest lawsuit anyone has ever seen! The man at the Forestry base told him the winds were predicted to keep getting stronger and to be careful of falling limbs. Some may be pines, but the vast majority appear to be hemlocks. Basically telling the press, the public and the injured families to go to hell. I am not convinced that all of what is considered to be the Chimney Tops 2 fire is. Money and CNN. My husband stopped the car and the two men inside identified themselves as city water department employees. So many unanswered questions? Compare the events to their fire management manual and contradictions are present. I particularly liked Sharon Jensens after action summary. Yet if no one raises cain about it, things will be rebuilt with no regard for such safety factors. Fire-wanted or unwanted- is not a warm and fuzzy abstract thing it is often portrayed in todays media and society to play around with. The report concluded that the fire was an accident; however, officials said the investigation was limited because the building was not structurally sound. They just hurl mean criticisms and put downs from a safe distance Brene Brown. If the superintendent of the Park Service couldnt see what the consequence could be then he was not qualified for the job and after reading his BIO he was never qualified and this is what we get. Too old to start over, fear it could happen again and they could be in their home like I was, or out and out mistrust of local government. So because of his and other incompetence property owners are paying the price. 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. I just hope, like Jeannine, that fire managers can learn from this tragedy because we really need the tool of prescribed fire in the tool box. I am trying to learn everything I can and hope to find an avenue to serve in this cause in some small way as most of you have and are serving in major, ways, risking your lives. Thank you for the timeline and the opportunity for comments. 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? From 7 p.m. until midnight sustained winds were at 13 to 17 mph with gusts from 34 to 49. 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. One of the owners of the impacted businesses called a contractor to demolish a damaged portion of the building. 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. 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. While I had the privilege is having dinner with the NPS director at a prescribed fire conference I am just a retired rx fire practitioner. One good place, James, to view an area after a devastating wildfire is adjacent to the Blue Ridge Parkway in and around the 418 milepost-the Graveyard Fields/ Shining Rock Wilderness areas. People were ready to leave their home in 15 min. They decided instead to monitor and to identifyon a map areas for indirect containment lines which encompassed 410 acres. Anyone can arm chair quarterback incident manager decisions after the smoke clears. Their lack of extended skill training is apparent. 1 Dead in Gatlinburg Fire That Affected Travel to Smokies
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