A fire burning under those conditions would likely burn more intensely, have a rate of spread faster than normal, and have more resistance to control. I am broken-hearted over it .. The three places the fire was stated to have been seem to line up pretty straight on the map. Contingency plans for how to evacuate the entire town, regardless of the specific hazard, were not well thought out. 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. A safefy plan for people in the event of the many natural threats, would have to be determined ahead of time though because that level of decision-making rarely occurs in the face of imminent danger. 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. Who caused the fire in Gatlinburg? It is very steep terrain, I would estimate about a 65 degree incline, but it is not easy to fall to your death there. It is a sad state of affairs, the loss of life was quite avoidable. What authority does NPS have outside GSMNP? The leafless trees allowed more sunlight to hit the fuel, drying it out even more. Very well said Tommy. FF get lulled into thinking they know by instinct but that era ininct will get people killed and thatas what happened. So property owners are left to deal with everything and if we had the power we would have done something like worrying the crap out of all of them until action was taken. Shortly after he left, he called my husband to tell him that the road between our house and downtown Gatlinburg was blocked by a crew from Sevier County Electric. With that all happening before lunch. Nonetheless, it is obvious to some folks that the NPS did not act aggressive enough on this fire. Virtually no one knows they have it and THEY DID NOT USE IT. He should loose his job and be prosecuted for this mess he created. Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Gatlinburg Fire Department and Gatlinburg Police Department officials are investigating. 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. SOURCE Like this: Loading. Anyone can arm chair quarterback incident manager decisions after the smoke clears. Without sufficient safe zones being created in advance each road was easily blocked either by fire or debris. Bob called. Of course Dollywood and Gatlinburg was virtually unscathed. I told him there wasnt when I got there at 5 oclock but I could not even see driveways on the way up. 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. 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. 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. There are a lot of downed trees and a lot of trails are temporarily closed to deal with them. Birmingham City close training ground after fire causes damage I would describe this as flooding in Pigeon Forge & Gatlinburg Tennessee, but certainly heavy rain rising the water levels throughout. 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. As they are minors, nothing else is known other than the Feds said the State could prosecute. We drove carefully and made it out of woods into Pigeon Forge safely. Gatlinburg Fire Cause: Who Started the Wildfire? | Heavy.com 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. On Oct. 9, a woman who was working at the Ripleys Aquarium smelled smoke and walked up to 745 Parkway Suite 4 to investigate. The decisions that worked made us heroes, and those that did not changed us if we were allowed that opportunity. Im hoping at this point, its going to be pretty quick. It goes for miles, Ive pushed as hard as I could straight down and only managed 1/10th mile an hour on the gps in a few such places. The news person is very frustrated as she nor their rival Channel 8 can do no interviews due to the gag order. 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. Since we had been planning all day to go downtown to play trivia at Smoky Mountain Brewery, we left the house about 5:55PM. Suggestion, contact Dolly Parton or representatives of her holdings and give her (them) the emergency phone line to Global Supertankers. Frankly people should lose their jobs and fault should be placed on their shoulders. GRSM firefighters spotted the new fire as they returned from responding to a report of a vehicle fire. I may be alone in thinking that, but I do think the Feds would stand up to local influence. As a contractor I worked with a Dunes engine in Michigan MI years ago. One or two of those employees fall to their death because they shouldnt have been there in the first place. Thanks Henry. 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. They couldnt get out a cell mssg. Resources = $$$=taxes. and last updated 4:48 AM, Apr 05, 2022. One option could be helicopter fire repellers to repel into the fire and make an assessment of risk. The Seiver County Medical Examiner's office identified the man as 54-year-old Joe Martin Bates, according to the City of Gatlinburg. 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. I doubt that anyone other than the arsonists intended to cause harm in any way here, and knowing the ages of those who lit the fire, I doubt that they themselves had any idea of the potential outcome. Lets just be careful about who they are in our criticism. 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. The lawsuits from an event like Gatlinburg could go on for decades. The fire had spread to Mynatt Park in Gatlinburg, and people were being evacuated from neighborhood there. That should have been done over Thanksgiving! People who live in forested areas need to be aware of fire danger. The Spur or US 441 runs between Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg in the Smokies. It predicted wind gusts out of the south Monday morning of 25 mph, increasing atnoonto30 mph and to 40 mph by 6 p.m. 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. But all sitting back and doing nothing to help. Those with information are urged to contact the Tennessee Arson Hotline at 1-800-762-3017 or the GFD at 865-436-5112. You said in your post what I have been thinking. All without the but why reflection, cause and effect analysis, drill down technique and the inter-relationship effect. My prayers are with all of you. 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. The fire continued to spread throughout the entire structure. It is truly appreciated. Deputy Park Superintendent Jordan Clayton said the initial fire on an area called Chimney Tops, a double peaked ridge line about 4 miles away from Gatlinburg, was caused by a person or. Lets see what reviews done by people with expertise in wildland fire management come up with. Chile is nearly a third world nation. Also. The appearance of dead hemlock progression is astounding. Within a few days or week prior to this deadly fire I heard a local major Knoxville radio station broadcasting a satire bashing HRC, Obama, the Federal Government among a few other controversial things, and how the revolution has begun including the incitement of burning down the place, this Knoxville radio station followed this rant with songs whose lyrics tough-ted and instructed the starting of fires. 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. I do not remember her name. Rippetoe hopes the destruction isnt there much longer and all businesses lost can return. Ive posted this type of questioning on other Wildfire Today articles. I just assumed that others would be leaving Gatlinburg out of concerns similar to mine. 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. Concerning the time the fire jumped 441. Gusts above 40 continued until 2 a.m. on Tuesday when they mostly dropped below 20 mph for the rest of the day. Tennessee wildfire near Gatlinburg prompts evacuations of 11,000 homes Thanksfully ATF agents helped TN Bureau of Investigation put their full resources at hand and arrested to two teenage idiots that started the fire. The notice went out to people within 10 miles of the fireline. 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. 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. I doubt it as the experience there is of fast moving potentially devastating fires. I believe that many, many people are alive now because they did use common sense but some of the people who died, were victims of circumstances that they should never have faced if their public officials had been acting solely on their responsibility, first and foremost, and perhaps only, to protect and serve. As for Caf 420, they have plans to rebuild, and their employees will keep their jobs. Zoom Abruptly Fires President Greg Tomb 'Without Cause' I am positive that for anyone who gives of themselves to protect and serve will forever be haunted by that far more than anyone of us can expect to hold them accountable by lynching. I hope they can train more local governments how to handle big wildfire situations. We are to be stewards of the land. Here is one interview I gave to a Cincinnati station 2-3 days after the fire. We all contribute to this phenomenon if not intentionally but unintentionally, simply by the design of our brains! We were wearing bandanas wrapped around our faces at this point. This would help the owners defray some costs so they can rebuild. 'Human caused' Tennessee wildfires kill seven near Dollywood park 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. Wednesday, November 23, the day the fire started. 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? They found plenty of resources when they realize they were going to be burning all the money making business is down on Monday. 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! Cafe 420 and Gifts of Gatlinburg were also destroyed. We must change our minds first and then we must change our actions. Until 1 p.m. sustained speeds were 4 to 6 mph with gusts at 12 to 19 mph. No pre-evacuation notice was sent so citizens could be ready to depart. City prosecutors have charged a longtime Mililani High School leader with multiple counts of theft. Money. Who knows what the climate will bring next year. Where the fire burned the valley floor, the desiccated hemlock burned freely and fully. Read more Tennessee Wildfire Cause: Gatlinburg Fires May Have Been Man-Made, Officials Claim is an article from: The Inquisitr News. There is simply too much BS. 1 Dead in Gatlinburg Fire That Affected Travel to Smokies How many have died in the gatlinburg forest fire? - JacAnswers The wind was blowing so hard it was difficult to stand up. Flies north of fire (s) in TN. Sevier County remains Smokies Strong 5 years after wildfires - WBIR.com It is written by Stephanie Sweeney, whose house was off the Spur between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. 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. The smoke steadily became thicker as the days passed and friends were showing pictures of the Chimneys on fire. Massive Wildfire Engulfs Tennessee Resort Towns, Kills 3 Many on that team are not NPS employees, but are highly experienced wildfire fighters. Above: Chimney Tops 2 Fire at 9:37 p.m. November 28, 2016 after it had burned into Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Chimney Tops 2 Fire - National Park Service Can fire experts examine burned areas and decipher the path of natural wildfire from managed ignited fires? 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). Jeannines comments were spot on. As citizens we should be aware of all threats we face and expect our leadership to plan ahead as best they can. The truck was filled with firefighters. Here is a question & answer from Bill interviewing Tom Nichols on Wildfire Today: One of the more common errors in judgment you have seen on fires? 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. Kind of like closing the barn door after the cow gets out, dont you think? What the fire victims need is non-biased experts to analyze the BACKFIRES that the NPS claims they ignited to protect NPS structures. We would best not be blind until that time is upon us, as then it will be too late. Thank-you Bill for your through and in depth analysis of this wildfires chain-of events. At 2 a.m. Monday the wind speeds recorded at Indian Grave began increasing and the direction became more consistently out of the south and southwest. Many times, as has been thoroughly vetted during the analysis the Chimney Top 2 wildfire the ONLY option is an all out aggressive, throw the world at it initial attack from air, ground and sea. It was a very horrible dream and I had qualms about my trip before I arrived in Branson. He told me he was scared to drive the truck-its a lot more cumbersome in the local terrain than his little Outback. For the most current information about the Chimney Tops 2 Fire at Gatlinburg, see our articles tagged Chimney 2 Fire. The Cove Mountain weather station is 8 miles northwest of the origin of the Chimney Tops 2 Fire, 5 miles west of downtown Gatlinburg, and 3 miles west of the last known western edge of the fire. He yelled at Bates to get out, and Bates did leave before coming back without the worker knowing. 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. It was gorgeous -huge, huge trees, open forest floor, very dark, very cool, very moist. China Bazaar, Puckers Sports Grill, Gifts of Gatlinburg, and Caf 420 were all deemed a complete loss. I know as I have been there many times due to security interests. Once the winds came on day 5 or 6, there was nothing anyone could do. I was in my cabin on 28 November and barely made it out alive. You may have a point regarding lawsuits, reported actions and actual actions. They had identifiedon a map a 410-acre fire management area which, depending on weather conditions, may allow for further fire growth. When you have an active, non controlled fire, an area in exceptional drought, late fall vegetative conditions, and southerly winds of 40 to 60 MPH forecasted, you do not need to be a nuclear physicist to realize the potential (probability) that a catastrophic fire event is right at your doorstep. GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WVLT) - Four downtown Gatlinburg businesses are picking up the pieces after a fire Sunday morning destroyed their building. Even though I am located adjacent to the National Forest lands on 3 sides, I cannot invite them onto my property to help me lessen the fuel load proximal to my home. The report stated the demolition was requested due to the health and safety of the citizens and visitors in the event of a full structure collapse.. Another 2.3 inches accumulated that day by the time it stopped at 7 p.m. Thus, private, State, or other agencies get left holding the bag, as it were. 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. In this instance, it is not only important to ask the questions its mandatory to question the answers if we are to achieve true critical thinking. 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. Back home in West TN, when tornado warnings were active in a particular area there were loud sirens that went off. The 2016 Great Smoky Mountains wildfires, also known as the Gatlinburg wildfires, [1] were a complex of wildfires which began in late November 2016. .. bless you all! To repeat what you have already said, people on the mountain especially Chalet Village north, no longer feel safe . That is great knowledge to share. In regard to the Knoxville News Sentinel article by Don Jacobs and an apparent press release statement by the Deputy Superintendent of GSMNP: There was no way the fire could have been extinguished before the winds came. Jordan says. If it was felt that people on this fire were at risk then dont staff the fire. 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. Thanks for the correction Bill. Oddly, some folks that posted photos of the fire of the 23rd in its early stages have either pulled the blogs or the material cannot be accessed. Finally a local coalition was formed to put pressure on NPS officials to uphold their mandate on historic structures. But the NPS didnt even follow their own rules in this case. 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. 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. Limbs began to fall. Will we fail forward? Suffice it to say betting against individual as well as class-action instruments being utilized against local and federal officials would be as unlikely as betting that the sun wont rise tomorrow. 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. As the crow flies, thats not far from Gatlinburg and Ive heard of and read about how quickly wildfires spread and how far reaching they can be under dry conditions from drought. The 6pm and 7pm newscasts could have been leveraged by TEMA to order an evacuation then, before lines went down, power went out and cell towers on fire. This is what happened with a handful of officials/personnel regarding the fatal 2000 black bear mauling of a woman hiker in Elkmont. Who allowed this to happen? Regardless, the appropriate aerial assault should continue. Have a wildland fire news tip? On the map below, the fire is the small dot in the center surrounded by the yellow line. 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. Are county officials telling people about the Code Red Alert System? Watch the pride and ego firefighters: youll never outmatch Gods elements. 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. The fire occurred in the Autumn after the deciduous trees had shed their leaves adding more fuel to the forest floor that was already abundant with desiccated leaves, twigs, dead branches, and logs that had been sucked dry of their moisture by the months of drought. Hemlocks were mentioned in a number of daily updates on Inciweb because they are basically standing roman candles thanks to the spiral of limbs. Every business downtown was closed except for Bubba Gumps. 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. Typos, let us know HERE, and specify which article. 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. Thanks for your rundown on the fire Bill. I guess they are helping the people they always help and the rest of us are out of luck. I know that because of my experience, my training, my ongoing learning and situational awareness of a host of related and seemingly unrelated knowledge. That didnt work out. GSMNP manager said he couldnt order an evacuation but he surely could have recommended one as the forecast for high winds was given early Sunday. But any land manager that expects to allow active spreading fire behavior for weeks or months is knowingly taking a risk that a wind event unpredictable weeks or months in advance will occur and change everything, sometimes with a very undesirable outcome. Fire managers brought in resources from all over the country. 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. Later it changed to a mandatory evacuation. Tom. The American publics outcry owe that much to the those whom lost loved ones, disrupted lives, destroyed both human property and natural resources in Gatlinburg, Tennessee during the Chimney Top 2 wildfire, November, 2016. When I built a home here just a few years ago and wanted to have a sprinkler system installed, I was told we dont have big wildfires here. The forecast issued Sunday included this text in the Discussion section: High pressure will hang on for Sunday with sunny skies and above normal temperatures. 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. 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. The status of individual structures in the Gatlinburg area can be found at arcgiscom. There were cliffs in the area but firefighting Hotshot Crews can figure out how to work on steep slopes, sometimes backing off a bit, constructing a fire line and intentionally burning the fuel in between, preventing further expansion of the fire. This would explain why they are all covering for each other. The fire broke out around 6:30 a.m. at the mall on the Parkway in downtown Gatlinburg. I asked my husband to go outside and hook up the water hose we had disconnected for winter. I hounded the Knox News editor for a followup article around Dec. 19. But the pickup trucks I encountered were full of wildfire firefighters, inside the City of Gatlinburg. Dollywood flat out refused to even consider we needed any help and also tried to shame our neighbor to discourage home not to take it. Not because I am a teller of fortune. 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. It was Congress that adjourned for the holidays without passing a bill to fund forest fire fighting efforts. No evacuation orders issued- If I had gone to work that day my two sons would be dead. He promised a committee to study what happened and there has been no word since. The fire burned 38,000 acres of state managed conservation areas and private timber lands. Their lack of extended skill training is apparent. With that said: were NPS officials aggressive enough in seriously emphasizing to Gatlinburg officials to start preparing for mandatory evacuations?