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Everyone knew how dry it was. This should not be a time to blame and inflame, but to think and act wisely. Thank-you Bill for your through and in depth analysis of this wildfires chain-of events. 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. Id just like to ask folks to think about If prior experience of fires in the region may have betrayed fire managers this time. As long as there are watchdogs for the truth such yourself, it will be hard to bury. IMT issued pre-evacuation notices in GA and NC each time they saw cold-front winds approaching that could would threaten communities. Situational awareness to current and predicted variables, as well as the potential of possibility is key. My husband stopped the car and the two men inside identified themselves as city water department employees. We got a text message. Perhaps a simple thing like calling for a Voluntary Evacuation from Noon on that day could have made the danger more obvious in light of the forecast for storm warnings with high winds for the afternoon and overnight. Lose their jobs over this? .. bless you all! Along with other Park issues like un-managed timber (very limited burns, mostly fields, not forested areas), we concluded the saying demolition by neglect. When the fire started on Chimney Tops I thought surely the National Park Service would take necessary steps to put it out quickly because of the sure danger of it spreading. Sevier County remains Smokies Strong 5 years after wildfires - WBIR.com There was a tree down on road out but we were able to drive around it. All weekend, my husband and daughter followed the fire on the Chimney Tops 2 facebook page NPS had established. Though once high winds hit, given the conditions there was no stopping the fire from destroying property. Sitting in a Sevierville motel room for four days watching the fire chief, city mayor, city manager, and county mayor pat each other on the back for being Mountain Strong sickened me. Civilians are dead, millions of dollars of personal property destroyed, millions of dollars were spent on containing the wildfirethe rains/snow finally suppressed it. Wildfire experts have been warning local government officials about the potential for a fire of this magnitude for years. The needle suffered extensive damage and was closed for three years. I later learned that Sevier County pays for an emergency notification system called Code Red Alert. 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. Some may be pines, but the vast majority appear to be hemlocks. Gatlinburg businesses look to rebuild after massive fire 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. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. 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. There was two contributing factors to this disaster. Shortly after that power was lost to the station and data stopped being recorded. Arson charges dropped against teens accused in deadly Gatlinburg - WJLA I turned on tv to see if there were warnings of any sort. I do remember the bad fires in the 1990s in Florida and Colorado (I was in Glenwood Springs at a week-long seminar only a week after the Storm King Mountain aka South Canyon fire). NPS can suppress the first fire; but not the second fire? 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. This eventually will affect us all at some point in time, as we too may one day find ourselves faced with similar circumstance. That said, we are now in the rebuild mode. It was about 11:30AM when we got to downtown Gatlinburg, where I took photos of the heavy on the Parkway in town. Who will accuse and then fire then? Another example from my own experience which has been rocked by bias and blatant failure to receive appropriate support and assistance when asked for; causing issues to occur that were later simply blown way out of proportion with conspired lies in order to protect and cover up the real underlying issues and people. Published: Dec. 24, 2022 at 10:17 AM PST 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. 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? I would hope that we would fund the National Park Service much better so that cost-cutting is not so high on their priorities. Fire those managers! Jeannine, what an awesome, in-depth and thoughtful response. What were the emergency managers of this county doing/thinking at this time? I hope this video puts people at ease that this fire is. If you had transposed the same fire with similar conditions to California or Idaho would it have been managed the same way? 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? GSMNP Facebook has pulled comments, photos, and replies as well in regard to the 14th fire. and last updated 4:48 AM, Apr 05, 2022. For the availability of resources our local volunteer departments are doing a good job, but things are changing and we need to get out of the boxes we are in, and start critical thinking and creatively to meet the challenges of the future because they are rapidly descending upon us whether we like it or not. Approximately 14,000 residents were originally forced to evacuate. Of course they wont. Very well put Mari. Just the mechanics of this devastating wildfire without any editorial comments. Most excellently put, Jeannine (you are an exceptional writer). Rippetoe hopes the destruction isnt there much longer and all businesses lost can return. When I got home our dog was sneezing repeatably so I brought her in. The fire resulted in the deaths of 14 people and more than $500 million in damage, with firefighting costs of more than $7 million. The report said the fire was an accident and caused around $7 million in damages. Firefighters from Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge responded. Sunday, four days after the fire started, was the first time that any firefighting aircraft were used on the fire, Ms. Schroer said. Later it changed to a mandatory evacuation. Lets see, that would probably consist of a GS-5 or 6 and two or three seasonal GS-4s. A fire burns at a high-rise building under construction in the Tsim Sha Tsui district in Hong Kong on March 3, 2023. There are thousands and thousands of people who feel as I do about your loss and the losses of so many people in Gatlinburg and the surrounding area. It was so blatant and irresponsible of the media station to broadcast in this manner especially under the current circumstances. I ran other errands and stopped by cabin to unload groceries before picking boys up from school. 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. Tennessee Wildfire Cause: Gatlinburg Fires May Have Been Man-Made On Friday, Gatlinburg city officials released a report detailing the downtown fire on Oct. 9. According to Public Information Officer Seth Butler, the Gatlinburg Fire Department and the Pigeon Forge Fire Department were dispatched to downtown Gatlinburg at 6:39 a.m. on Sunday, Oct.. I was in the area hiking November 21 and there was no smoke coming from the Chimneys area. Fire aboard Spirit plane causes emergency landing, sends 10 to hospital Ive noted the contrast between how the Incident Management Teams approached the fires compared to the NPS. I visited Gatlinburg on a trip to Asheville NC, in 1980. We strive to use real facts, not alternative facts, on Wildfire Today. Very well said Tommy. So this has affected everyone in the area in one form or another. there is still a nagging question regarding the use of BACKFIRE on the part of the NPS and the Gatlinburg Fires? Yes, there had been many fires in the southeast during the 6 to 8 weeks before the fire started in Great Smoky Mountains NP, but it is my understanding that at that time they had diminished and there may have been significant firefighting resources available. This country was founded on open respectful discussion, such as this which has occurred in this article commentary and blog comments. Will it change what has happened? I just assumed that others would be leaving Gatlinburg out of concerns similar to mine. On November 23 when the fire was discovered the KBDI was 599, Molly Schroer, a spokesperson for the IMT told us. I was on the phone w them that Mon. God doesnt cut financial budgets. > Jeannine In my 40 years in the fire service (Calif and Alaska), I have seen an unfortunate number of cases where agencies in generaland the NPS in particulardesignate fires as monitored event(s) (insert favorite agency terminology here) that hours, or days, later explode into huge incidents. As a citizen with a firefighting background, I knew days ahead of time that high mountain winds were expected in the Eastern TN/NC Mountains, coupling that with the extreme drought conditions and the knowledge of the massive amount of ground fuel available in the forest based on being in the forest regularly even just days prior, outside observing the conditions and the terrain. Officials said three people. 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. For example politicians far away from the event make decisions regarding funding, resources and operations. They just hurl mean criticisms and put downs from a safe distance Brene Brown. Though Im missing the boat a little here, my questioning is still legitimate being that any managed ignited fire can still get out of control adding to an existing wildfire or creating one. Most of us feel there was negligence but sorting it all out is not something I know how to do. They were taught with classroom didactic and hands on training, by sharing of lessons learned by others, and the best learning opportunity available, the best teacher of all; the actual experience itself. 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. I have my own opinion on what I would do if I ruled the world but I can guarantee you two people that would be looking for work very soon . The successes, and the losses, the poor decisions, the mistakes, the error and the failures. The report concluded that the fire was an accident; however, officials said the investigation was limited because the building was not structurally sound. The identities of the three killed have not been released . We drove west down the parkway. That doesnt mean excessive chainsaw mania; but it doesnt mean going to the other extreme with the type of forestry management in some of our Parks and other public lands. Though the drought and winds were undoubtedly an act of God (Psalms 148:8; 1st Kings 17:1), NPS and other officials were not left ignorant. After working full time in wildland fire for 33 years, he continues to learn, and strives to be a Student of Fire. There is no cost, and in case you change your mind each email has an unsubscribe button. The timeline of when NPS requested additional help was unfortunately too late for help to arrive before the firestorm hit. Fire Summary. These things dont come with the same cheap city plans out here in the rural mountainous zones! This would explain why they are all covering for each other. When the Chimney Tops 2 Fire burned into Gatlinburg on November 28, 2016 and destroyed thosestructures it was drivenprimarily by weather specifically, very strong winds. Stantons car was full of gas and only has liability insurance. Officials will verify renters and lease holders, as needed. Stumps burned into the ground and look like volcano caldera. Zoom Abruptly Fires President Greg Tomb 'Without Cause' The dead hemlock had to have been of huge impact to the fire. Where is his accountability? Yes, there is backside-covering going on. We would best not be blind until that time is upon us, as then it will be too late. Oct. 11, 2022, at 10:27 a.m. 1 Dead in Gatlinburg Fire That Affected Travel to Smokies. There were and continue to be many deaths and fires that occurred in those western areas, and with those IMT expert Teams, that taught hard lessons, and enabled those people to gain experience and become the so called experts in the field. Incident Mgt. Thanks for the correction Bill. 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? 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. About 20 years ago, I hiked to Albright Grove, an old-growth hemlock forest near Greenbrier. Late Monday afternoon the Gatlinburg Fire Department began informing some residents of a voluntary evacuation. I left the professional fire service with 3o plus years of experience, yet with a still learning and observant mind. Frankly people should lose their jobs and fault should be placed on their shoulders. Once the winds came on day 5 or 6, there was nothing anyone could do. China Bazaar, Puckers Sports Bar, Cafe 420,. This is just one more example of one more related issue that is seemingly un-connected until you delve into the issues deeply. It is not just officials who have not caught up with the new climate reality, it is the general public and those in the path of fire. 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. Read more Tennessee Wildfire Cause: Gatlinburg Fires May Have Been Man-Made, Officials Claim is an article from: The Inquisitr News. Im not saying GRSM made the right or wrong decision, there is just a lot more involved then saying they didnt suppress it promptly. The GRSM person that requested the Spot wrote: Concerned about ridgetop winds with the coming front. By definition, prescribed burning is described as fire applied in a knowledgeable manner to forest and grassland fuels on a specific land area under selected weather conditions to accomplish predetermined, well-defined management objectives, pg 2, http://www.southernfireexchange.org/etc/ITPFISE.pdf. We discussed what we would/could do if we had to evacuate. 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? The Incident Management Teams fighting fires in GA and NC gave pre-evac notices for people within 10 miles of the fire line each time a cold front with high winds approached. The leafless trees allowed more sunlight to hit the fuel, drying it out even more. 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. They got info from NPS about the fire spreading. When we reached our car at road level, we saw flames coming over the ridge directly south of our house. Flies north of fire (s) in TN. Click here. 6 to the intersection at Reagen Drive reopened Monday afternoon after being closed Sunday morning, according to a release. Thats perfect Johnny. I appreciate that fine quality of writing that expresses your thoughts in an easy to read yet structured style that makes sense. Screenshot from the Knox News video. Lets just be careful about who they are in our criticism. Hit it with all you have the Moment it breaks out.. We have border issues, at the local levels, states rights and federal rights that are still at issue, leadership silos, and rising political issues. First rule of any structure fire or wildfire. Excellent report Dr. Gabbert. 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. My writing comes from the heart! Lied too by Gatlinburg or Sevier County officials? Neither the NPS nor the city wanted CNN cameras covering a mass evacuation of a town jam packed with tourists on Thanksgiving weekend. GATLINBURG, Tennessee -- The charges have been dropped against two teens who were accused of starting the wildfires in Gatlinburg last fall. Being asleep at the wheel is no excuse. 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. Im hoping at this point, its going to be pretty quick. The individual was identified as Joe Martin Bates, 54, according to the Sevier County Medical Examiners office. Updated: Dec. 25, 2022 at 6:15 PM PST. I was afraid to go into Park with boys. Not sure on how the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid infects our truly awesome and beautiful Hemlocks, but I do know that the Balsam Wooly Adelgid, the non-native insect that has helped to lay waste to the equally magnificent Fraser Fir forests such as found on the highest peaks Clingmans Dome, Mt. I can feel for the service providers and the devastated fire victims. Ill tell you why. Asked if I knew if there were any other people down in that area. How many resources were on how many fires at that time in this region and in others? The businesses include Cafe 420 . Why hasnt the NPS mentioned this first fire of the 14th? Body found amid rubble of Sunday's major fire in Gatlinburg 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. GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) Firefighters have found a body in the remains of a building that burned in . Good points about differentiating between prescribed fire and the wildfire. I can only hope that the actions are being undertaken somewhere and by the decision-makers and leaders to think and act differently. GRSM posted Fire Information signs in the area explaining their monitoring strategy due to vertical cliffs, narrow rock ridges and steep drainages. Work for the NPS and see their Fire-is-not-our-mission outlook on fires and know that they will not be a aggressive enough, will not have seasoned fire staff, will not allow their staffs go out on fires and get the necessary experience. I know as I have been there many times due to security interests. The DA in Sevier County has put a gag rule in effect since the get go to protect the teeneagers involved. In a time in which the NPS and all other government agencies are under attack and certain factions are seeking to replace all our government agencies with private for profit industry I would not ignore the possibility of anything. Thank you for your kind words and concern about our loss. They were in their driveway with a water hose. 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! Not to lay blame or punishment but as a real learning tool for improvement of service provision. The coolness and the moisture were gone. 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. Was the fire that inaccessible on foot? Also I just came across a facebook page showing two views of the same interchange in Gatlinburg at 10:28 and 10:52. 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. Park Service has not issued any warnings and there are no active fires in Gatlinburg city limits. I ask her if they had plans of issuing a warning if evacuations became necessary and ask her how they would do that. Guessing the fire spotted from the Chimneys, to Bullhead, then on to Twin Creeks area. I agree with the earlier post that if this fire had been in Southern California or other areas subject to devastating fire if it would have been managed differently. They decided instead to monitor and to identifyon a map areas for indirect containment lines which encompassed 410 acres. Finally a local coalition was formed to put pressure on NPS officials to uphold their mandate on historic structures. We shouldnt have expected anything else, I dont know what we were thinking. You certainly got it right when you said that sometimes government does not listen and it takes a loud voice. It is good to question everything, all is not as it appears. All downtown sidewalks reopened as permanent fencing around the building was installed by the property owner following the fire. 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. When we reached Turkey Nest Road there was a big white crewcab pickup truck parked in front of Barbaras Real Estate. NPS officials are looking to avoid tort liability claims, plan & simple. This is how we all get better at what we do and are. 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? You may have a point regarding lawsuits, reported actions and actual actions. 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 certainly hope the investigation of the totality of fire is not pressured to conclude prematurely. Stanton wanted to go but I was afraid to for several reasons. Fourteen people lost their lives. Those with information are urged to contact the Tennessee Arson Hotline at 1-800-762-3017 or the GFD at 865-436-5112. Monday I was surprised to look at the Knoxville News and see nothing about evacuation notices. These breaks downs undoubtedly show shortcomings by officials. It is very hard and slow to navigate through laurel stands and the thick Tennesee Barbed Wire Briar patches. Limbs began to fall. I am aware that in this area of the Eastern Appalachians, there are many retired firefighters and emergency personnel who would probably be willing partners in helping other regional professionals and volunteers in meeting the opportunities presented by a changing world. This is a failure at the city, county and state levels, as well as top FEMA, leadership. If one is growing by experience you keep them moving forward as we all benefit from their learning and experience. Our neighbors 3 doors down were outside near their car. When I came out of dr. office, which is located on Middle Creek close to hospital, the atmosphere was eerie. Which is why human history keeps repeating itself over and over. It is unfortunate that in our society people who speak out with a loud voice, or otherwise make waves for the privileged, get not only scorned but categorically destroyed by well planned out and financed design, often full of cover-up and lies and then propaganda is feed to the rest of us, of which we often take for gospel, when in fact is often not based on evidence or fact. Who knows what the climate will bring next year. Who caused the fire in Gatlinburg? 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. One option could be helicopter fire repellers to repel into the fire and make an assessment of risk. That should have been done over Thanksgiving! I began picking up news stories of the fire in Gatlinburg from as the storm rolled east. It was hard to drive because of falling leaves, branches, smoke, wind, and nerves. @wvlt pic.twitter.com/P7roVBCq8B. Their lack of extended skill training is apparent. Fire erupts on both side of Highway 441 between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tenn., Monday, Nov. 28, 2016. Not everything that happened with the fires had a dotted line to those two teens. The Championship side, who are 19th in the table, said there have been no injuries. 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. Obviously spent no time in the military so they didnt know how to field dress A cigarette and pack it out. Vincent Gabrielle, Knoxville News Sentinel. I found this blog and am so grateful to have an opportunity to reply and also to become informed from experienced, caring people of service in the firefighting effort. We warned them about the approaching fire before turning the opposite direction to proceed on downtown. Fire Tears Through Downtown Gatlinburg (TN) Mall; One Person Killed You forgot lack of funding to adequately staff the park. China Bazaar, Pucker's Sports Grill, Gifts of . But until the awareness of possibility and the letting go of holding onto what we think we know to be the truth much will remain unchanged. 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.