who caused the gatlinburg fires?
Download the WATE 6 News app or sign up for our email alerts for updates. 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. The fire gutted the entire city block and closed a dozen businesses. He has had to struggle with the untimely death of his very healthy and active in younger retirement parents but both of us having been an EMS and fire service, he is of the opinion just as I am that the NPS as well as the Gatlinburg fire chief and the city and county officials have the most of blood on their hands . Sunset that day was at 5:21 p.m. which would have allowed them to drop on the fire until 5:51 p.m., 30 minutes after sunset. Authorities have not identified the victim or . Corker and Alexander know what would happen if they tried to interfere with a Federal prosecution! But all sitting back and doing nothing to help. I think anyone that is from this area could see this could be a very dangerous fire from the first day!! Gatlinburg businesses look to rebuild after massive fire. Most of us feel there was negligence but sorting it all out is not something I know how to do. Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge wildfire evacuation information - WJBF Another factor in the tragic outcome goes way beyond any mismanagement of the fire in its early period. The one thing I noticed over the fall was that the National Forest Service held themselves accountable, called in Incident Management Teams from all over the country with big wildfire experience and those teams got it done. 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. And . 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? Mother nature always bats last Sad chain of eventsonce again. It is this same type of think tank and diversity we need in reaching a host of solutions to our complexity of problems both in this situation and in all others. We spent Thanksgiving there with our family, who left on Sunday. There is simply too much BS. Nothing happens in a vacuum. Vincent Gabrielle, Knoxville News Sentinel. 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. Period. 1 dead in Gatlinburg fire that affected travel to Smokies We believed the firefighters were going to stop the fire from entering the city. It is written by Stephanie Sweeney, whose house was off the Spur between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. It just so happens that at this time hundreds of fires were subsequently being started all around the south! We could see the smoke. Fire crews were dispatched to a structure fire around 6:30. But it is good that you ask questions, and you should expect answers and a demonstration of learning, but you have to give that opportunity, just as you would want. We applied for the Dollywood assistance and FEMA and can get neither, Im not sure who they are helping but for us and our neighbors we arent getting anything. Floods, tornadoes, severe storms, wildfires, mudslides, hurricanes, what else?, all present risks to humans and their property which require different degrees of political management and oversight in our various muncipalities to keep us safe or to help us recover if we suffer consequences when we arent kept safe. Was the fire that inaccessible on foot? 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. They had access to the same fire flight info from Sundays flyover that other agencies had. I can picture all I am a management specialist and I understand how to plan, and implement risk-protection and safety in many kinds of settings, to address various threats to people. The fire did not get up the valley to the Alum Cave Parking Lot, and LeConte Lodge is fine. We could get blocked in by both. If the defendants didnt ignite the 14th fire, who did and is this 14th fire under investigation? 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. 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. Cafe 420 and Gifts of Gatlinburg were also destroyed. They need to be accountable for their inaction, and action. If Im not mistaken, there is a Bob Stanton that was a former NPS Director. It works like an Amber Alert to people who download the app and sign up. Can fire experts examine burned areas and decipher the path of natural wildfire from managed ignited fires? Numerous photos show a dramatic increase in smoke in the downtown area between 5 and 5:30 pm. Ive noted the contrast between how the Incident Management Teams approached the fires compared to the NPS. Impressive. 321) at Glades Road and the Post Office. Praying for those residents that have it far worse than I. I agree, this has many players to blame and starts with Superintendent Cassius Cash and trickles down to the City and County. The steepness here is epic, the only way out of valleys this steep is straight down or up, your lucky not to hit a waterfall. 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? The city said crews working the structure fire that . I had these thoughts: if fire spreads from Chimney Tops and starts coming towards Gatlinburg, people are going to be getting gas and getting out. Screenshot from the Knox News video. Lots of fires getting controlled, crews pulling off and the new fuel falling and all back ablaze. 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. It must have been Sunday, because a Type 1 team came in on Tuesday. We got a text message. Virtually no one knows they have it and THEY DID NOT USE IT. The diff. The perfect firestorm. I said a quick prayer for safety and we started up hill to leave our truck. It is important to look at many facets, evidence and root cause studies so that the issues can be resolved. etc. What Caused the Gatlinburg Fire of 2016? Here's the Real Story The news person is very frustrated as she nor their rival Channel 8 can do no interviews due to the gag order. Along with other Park issues like un-managed timber (very limited burns, mostly fields, not forested areas), we concluded the saying demolition by neglect. Jon Binhammer had an excellent point about the hemlocks. The learning system of resolution. The Gatlinburg Space Needle fire (July 1992) In 1992, a fire destroyed Ripley's Gatlinburg Museum which was, at the time, located at the base of the needle. TEMA had the power and authority, yet did nothing until Hell was at their door. Will some folks be held accountable for actions or non-actions related to this wildfire incident? The forecasts are supposed to be detailed and customized predictions of the weather at a particular location, or spot, for at least the next two days. The body of a person has been found in the rubble of a fire in downtown Gatlinburg, our ABC affiliate WATE reported Monday. Jeannine, what an awesome, in-depth and thoughtful response. .. bless you all! Many fire managers in that situation would immediately attack emerging fires very aggressively with overwhelming force, that is, many firefighters on the ground assisted by numerous aircraft dropping water or fire retardant. Needless to say one tanker run can drop more water than two helicopters can do in a full day. The truck was filled with firefighters. Wildfire Today covered engines being shipped from CA. These fires were allowed to cook with little or no suppression action. The Park Superintendent did not want to risk the lives of NPS fire crews with the Chimney Tops Fire 2; and that is to be respected. Stupidity is as stupidity does. It is to be considered, but verified by other means. Too often the only voice that is heard in our society is money and the more one has the more they are heard. Multiple businesses were destroyed in the flames, totaling an estimated $7 million in damage. It caused a shutdown . That evening, GSM park officials tweeted that a 1.5 acre fire (Chimney Tops 2 fire) was burning in a steep location around the Chimneys. Join our group. Parkway in downtown Gatlinburg from the intersection at Traffic Light No. night at 9pm when mom said there was evacuation notice on TV. Also, lots of hills in the area washed to bedrock by cloud burst and slides. 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. I said Fed. The further fire growth part was more accurate than they realized at the time. Fire behavior is predictable, based on things such as mentioned in this article; weather, terrain and fuels. Also. In Gatlinburg, smoke and fire caused the mandatory evacuation of downtown and surrounding . After the fact they called in helicopters to dump water on the fire which is what they should have done in the first place and didnt, WHY NOT? Gatlinburg businesses look to rebuild after massive fire Its all in moderately dense forest that overhangs above the road. One thing I have learned is that the news media, especially in todays world is just as skilled and often benefits from pushing their own agendas as well. There were emergency vehicles blocking Motor Nature Trail. Im totally with you accountability. Especially our local emergency workers and the Park Service. When you see more of them completely charred but living trees seemingly untouched that is a sign of both underground burning and how much water the living trees still possessed. Location field must contain 'city, state' or a zip code to perform a radius search (e.g., Denver, CO or 46122).City and state must be separated by a comma followed by a space (e.g., Houston, TX) I only lost my house, but someone has to speak the truth about what did/didnt happen that day/night. Those people have their head in a hole, a burned out tree stump hole the very definition of ignore-ance. I was afraid to go into Park with boys. My family lives 15 mi. To access this area, it is important to follow check point protocols. Fire aboard Spirit plane causes emergency landing, sends 10 to hospital 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. 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. I would like to express that there are sincere and dedicated folks working for the National Park Service. It was a very horrible dream and I had qualms about my trip before I arrived in Branson. It is truly appreciated. I was in my cabin on 28 November and barely made it out alive. Very well put Mari. There may be some validity in the DA doing that, but it sure calls their integrity into question. 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. Whose else is there? The fire was south of Gatlinburg. and last updated 4:48 AM, Apr 05, 2022. Photos: Fire in Gatlinburg, Tennessee | Photo Galleries | herald It was Congress that adjourned for the holidays without passing a bill to fund forest fire fighting efforts. with a notice that evacuation is imminent would have been prudent. China Bazaar, Pucker's Sports Grill, Gifts of . There could be traffic jams. My wife and I hiked to Alum Cave Bluffs Saturday, Nov. 26, while the fire was small up on the Chimneys. I heard a comment that people have the use common sense. It was so blatant and irresponsible of the media station to broadcast in this manner especially under the current circumstances. 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. 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. Obviously spent no time in the military so they didnt know how to field dress A cigarette and pack it out. Birmingham City have had to close their training ground after a fire caused damage on Friday morning. Downtown Gatlinburg fire: Experts identify remains found in rubble Watch the pride and ego firefighters: youll never outmatch Gods elements. Yet if no one raises cain about it, things will be rebuilt with no regard for such safety factors. That and your wish to pay 50% income tax and there will never be a fire again! FF get lulled into thinking they know by instinct but that era ininct will get people killed and thatas what happened. I hope they can train more local governments how to handle big wildfire situations. 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. I hounded the Knox News editor for a followup article around Dec. 19. I will not be looking for Gatlinburg or Sevier county first response personnel as those people will be grounded by a spineless group of county, city and NPS managers Who can only be described as cowardly indecisive. 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. Those with information are urged to contact the Tennessee Arson Hotline at 1-800-762-3017 or the GFD at 865-436-5112. You may have a point regarding lawsuits, reported actions and actual actions. GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) Firefighters have found a body in the remains of a building that burned in . I am thankful so many are not only opening their eyes here, but taking action and questioning. 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. I had concerns about traffic once we got down there. Thanks for the correction Bill. 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. 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 Seiver County Medical Examiner's office identified the man as 54-year-old Joe Martin Bates, according to the City of Gatlinburg. My nightmare depicted more what happened in Gatlinburg than so far in Branson. 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. It now seems obvious that no housing development should have only road in and out. I also wanted to let everyone know that the City and County is an example of nepotism at its finest. One Person Dead After Downtown Gatlinburg Fire Sunday The GRSM person that requested the Spot wrote: Concerned about ridgetop winds with the coming front. Wednesday, November 23, the day the fire started. My writing comes from the heart! Case in point, the wildfires in Florida 1998, in which those experts were unaware of or underestimated the burning intensity of the Palm Oils from the Florida flora, which were as flammable liquid fires during those wildfires. We shouldnt have expected anything else, I dont know what we were thinking. NPS manager Cassius Cash said the NPS didnt have the authority to order an evacuation (how about recommending a pre-evacuation status so the public was ready to evacuate if needed?). Gatlinburg Wildfire: 2 Juveniles Charged With Arson - NPR Its incredulous that evacuation didnt go out then. The 2016 Great Smoky Mountains wildfires, also known as the Gatlinburg wildfires, [1] were a complex of wildfires which began in late November 2016. Later it changed to a mandatory evacuation. Many structures were lost- thankfully no lives. 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. Here again, more of a horse and pony show from all officials both state and federal. Question, seek truth and evidence, get to the roots, with the intention to create and apply solutions, not simply hang someone; that is how we grow forward!
