The learning system of resolution. That didnt happen here. I am not one to Monday Morning Quarterback, because none of us have all the information and really we all have limited information, no one person knows it all; but as a citizen with background knowledge, experience, training, risk and situational awareness, the potential was clearly predictable days in advance of the aggressive action. I remember a news conference A day or so later where that fire chief of the Gatlinburg stated that they knew on Sunday that it was predicted the fire would hit Gatlinburg proper by 11 AM on Tuesday morning. What were the emergency managers of this county doing/thinking at this time? We, the public, have to be activists for our own safety, the very safety that public officials claim to protect. People died and lost so much and that is absolutely tragic! A stroke in 2011 left Akaka partially paralyzed and unable to speak but he didn't need words to express his joy to be reunited with it. It was the hottest summer we ever felt. Five days is a generous amount of time to request and receive firefighters. When peoples towns and lives are at stake, letting a fire burn or hoping to get lucky is a tough sell. The forecasts from the 24th through the 26th did not predict the extreme weather that began Monday, November 28. Not to mention all the fallen limbs on the ground beneath them. Gatlinburg Fire 2016: How It Happened & the Aftermath - PigeonForge.com (Bloomberg) -- Zoom Video Communications Inc. slumped in early trading Friday after abruptly terminating the employment of . I seriously question if bias will be discreetly worked into this agency and their review of the fire?? Once again: the questions remain unanswered. 1 Dead in Gatlinburg Fire That Affected Travel to Smokies Even Congressman from east TN and western NC need to here it. By being so quick to lynch people we have created a fear of decision-making and a paralysis of critical thinking. 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.. 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. He actually wrote me back on Christmas Eve, of all things, to tell me that they will keep after it. It also led officials to. Humans lostfire won. 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. Only 0.05 inch fell at the Indian Grave Remote Automatic Weather Station 18 miles west of the fire. There could be falling trees. Under ideal conditions they can temporarily slow the spread, which may be effective if firefighters on the ground can move in quickly totake advantage of the short termchange in fire behavior by constructing firelines, stopping the spread at that location. 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. I particularly liked Sharon Jensens after action summary. As we reached the Parkway, everything was deserted. That is when it began moving rapidly toward Gatlinburg. The coolness and the moisture were gone. Im hoping at this point, its going to be pretty quick. Finally, the Superintendent has the power to call up all the resources which were available. Once the winds came on day 5 or 6, there was nothing anyone could do. It would make suppression efforts difficult, but a fire break could have been constructed around the original slow-moving fire in the early days. 'Human caused' Tennessee wildfires kill seven near Dollywood park Firefighting resources assigned to the fire include 25 hand crews, 61 engines, 6 helicopters, and 2 dozers, for a total 780 personnel. Published: Nov. 30, 2016, 8:41 p.m. Dry conditions and high winds caused a wildfire on Chimney Tops Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains to spread quickly . The blame is as simple as the nose on your face we have family that is firemen and friends that are and they too are trained in fighting fires and if they had contained it all of this wouldnt have happened. Case in point is our European religious history. What authority does NPS have outside GSMNP? You do not hang your child or throw them out for, with good intention making the wrong choices, you teach them and help them to understand the consequences. Oh thats right they did but it was after everything burned! We got a text message. He wanted us to pack and leave. The IMT reported that the fire had not increased in size over the previous 24 hours and was still listed at 17,006 acres. A true lackadaisical response. 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. Yes government at all levels needs to be held accountable; otherwise we regress back into the Dark Ages. Once again, can fire discreetly smolder in the duff amid rock crevices? Behind the Chimneys is Sugarland Mountain. 2016 Great Smoky Mountains wildfires - Wikipedia The windspeed was 1 to 3 mph. The cause of the fire has still not been determined. You are among several Gatlinburg residents that posted local officials told them that everything was OK as late as 5:30 and there was no evacuation notice. 1,000 feet of rise / 0.2 mile (1,056 feet) is a slope of 94.7%, not 77%. That seems to be confirmation that the fire had crossed 441 early in the day. There is no cost, and in case you change your mind each email has an unsubscribe button. How many sorties could those planes do in an single day even if they had been deployed on Even Friday?? Thanks for your rundown on the fire Bill. We waited as the days passed until we could go and see if ours had burned. I dont understand, but I dont judge. However, I still wonder why there has been no word from the governor about the post-fire review team he promised. I turned on tv to see if there were warnings of any sort. We warned them about the approaching fire before turning the opposite direction to proceed on downtown. I told her my concerns of fire, traffic, and falling trees blocking flow of traffic were there an emergency. 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. Being that were neighbors with these people, its people that we love. Arson charges dropped against teens accused in deadly Gatlinburg - WJLA 1 dead in Anchorage home fire that officials say was likely caused by Wednesday, November 23, the day the fire started. Jeannines comments were spot on. Its always been this way so you have to watch who you deal with, this is why the City and County need to clean this up, this would bring down the prices of these people with signs up everywhere for clean up. This is how civilians, firefighters, personal property and extensive environmental damage results. Contractor will be on site this weekend with a subcontractor cleaning up my debris and really pouring my foundation and my logs will arrive within 15 days or more . All without the but why reflection, cause and effect analysis, drill down technique and the inter-relationship effect. When I got home our dog was sneezing repeatably so I brought her in. We are excited to start new memories and get back on the trails. If one is growing by experience you keep them moving forward as we all benefit from their learning and experience. I told her when she does mine about my rebuild and my crooked contractor I will speak plenty about the ineptness of the NPS and local fire officials. Body found amid rubble of Sunday's major fire in Gatlinburg 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. They decided instead to monitor and to identifyon a map areas for indirect containment lines which encompassed 410 acres. I told Stanton I wanted him to drive our truck up to top of mountain behind house to get it away from house and out from under so many trees. Accusations were abundant. Lets look in the mirror before we are too quick to blame someone else. We looked at each other and I asked if we should leave or go back and try to use the water hose to protect the house. I doubt it as the experience there is of fast moving potentially devastating fires. Our Gatlinburg Inn was built on family and community. But fires are getting nastier everywhere and folks keep saying past fire history isnt as good a guide as it used to be. Jeannine, its obvious that you write from the heart, and you write so well it is indeed inspirational. Hong Kong skyscraper fire could mean $64M payout, cause under investigation But all sitting back and doing nothing to help. Im sure there will be lots of finger pointing, name calling pushing for blame and then legal actions. Everyone knew how dry it was. Teddy Roosevelt, who as you may know, was instrumental in establishing our national parks. Gatlinburg businesses look to rebuild after massive fire The cleaner told officials he found Bates in the room where the fire started and had what appeared to be a warming fire going. GRSM firefighters spotted the new fire as they returned from responding to a report of a vehicle fire. I know as I have been there many times due to security interests. I can feel for the service providers and the devastated fire victims. Deciding to keep air resources in reserve for initial attack on new starts rather than wash the fire off chimney tops was a good decision. On Friday, Gatlinburg city officials released a report detailing the downtown fire on Oct. 9. There is a marked increase in smoke and decreasing visibility due to the smoke. Fire crews were dispatched to a structure fire around 6:30. As I learned in the first 12 hours what took place there, I realized that there was almost no preparation for the risk of a fire, on any Did the fire have to be so devastating? Situational awareness to current and predicted variables, as well as the potential of possibility is key. I said Fed. I can tell you that within the week prior to this fire in the Greenbriar section of the GSMNP, I hiked on trails rustling through leaf litter that came up to my mid shins. Hello Jon, for what its worth, I did some hiking in the Greenbrier area of the GSMNP back in October and didnt notice many dead hemlocks, although The Chimneys area may be different, which I havent hiked in years. Emergency crews were on the scene for 31 hours extinguishing the fire before the emergency demolition was requested. Downtown Gatlinburg Fire at Puckers Sports Grill & More (OCT 9, 2022) Damage was estimated at more than $500 million, according to Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters. 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. So my husband called the Gatlinburg policy department with the same questions and got the same answers. The diff. A similar fire occurred on English Mountain. The GSMNP officials were able dodge the negligence and management shortcomings of the 2000 fatal black bear attack in Elkmont as well as discrediting and slandering a former District Law Enforcement Ranger who was involved in the incident. Kelly, Lloyd and anyone else that had home and/or businesses losses from the fire, tell everyone involved to write and/or call the governors office about what is going on. I was on the phone w them that Mon. Instead, the city ordered evacuation of the neighborhoods nearest the NPS day use area that was on fire (Mynatt Park and others). The 2016 Gatlinburg wildfire was deadliest in the eastern half of the U.S. since the Great Fires of 1947 in Maine and the worst in the history of Great . Parkway in downtown Gatlinburg from the intersection at Traffic Light No. if/when evacuation notice was given. Accountability is important and paying the price for our decisions is too. Nothing happens in a vacuum. Hire an independent fire behavior consultant to assist in PLANNING and timely response if conditions appear to be coming into (fire) alignment. 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. Some of the towns most impacted were Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, both near Great Smoky Mountains National Park. With that said: were NPS officials aggressive enough in seriously emphasizing to Gatlinburg officials to start preparing for mandatory evacuations? Will there be an independent, non-federal agency, through,unbiased, unedited final incident management and serious accident investigation? The fire did not get up the valley to the Alum Cave Parking Lot, and LeConte Lodge is fine. Unfortunately its the home owners that are taking the hit and I think it should be them. The People have been deceived with a vague and biased investigation regarding this particular bear incident. Were these simply copy cat arsonists, arsonists with the most ridiculous stories to offer for why they lit these fires, or were they just cover-ups for something more sinister? In wildfire-riddled Tennessee, climate change is a hot topic with a notice that evacuation is imminent would have been prudent. During the investigation, fire officials interviewed a cleaner of Loco Burro who saw a person matching Bates description the morning of the fire. These so called means of helping people out is a lie. Officials will verify renters and lease holders, as needed. To access this area, it is important to follow check point protocols. 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. Unfortunately this isnt always the case. The leafless trees allowed more sunlight to hit the fuel, drying it out even more. We drove west down the parkway. Down hemlocks are mostly just gone. 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. I am astounded at the amount of information, expertise, warning, and awareness of imminent danger was present and available in this situation. Considering the record of wind gusts between 5-6pm and that the fire had jumped US 441, NPS calling Gburg Fire Dept. That afternoon a Chinook Type 1 helicopter (Type 1s are the largest helicopters used on wildfires) began dropping water on the fire, refilling at Fontana Lake 13 miles to the southwest, according to a source we talked to who didnt want their name disclosed because they were not authorized to speak on the subject. The winds that Monday afternoon had knocked power lines down and early reporting made mention of separate ignition points in the residential hillsides. 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? "We've had five (fatalities) really close together and this is more than we normally have by this time of year," Boyd said. Branson is built into the mountainous forests of south-central Missouri, is a resort town, and a retirement community and entertainment venue. Over 130 sustained injuries, and 1,684 structures have been damaged or destroyed. The fire could have been stopped over the weekend if proper procedures had been followed. They couldnt get out a cell mssg. Until 1 p.m. sustained speeds were 4 to 6 mph with gusts at 12 to 19 mph. Gatlinburg Fire 2016: The Start. We do have insurance however based on the prices for clean up there it wont go far enough to build back. The Seiver County Medical Examiner's office identified the man as 54-year-old Joe Martin Bates, according to the City of Gatlinburg. This is how the devastating Gatlinburg wildfire erupted overnight 10/10/22, 1:56 p.m. This is as far as this subject needs to go; for the objective of this site is in regard to wildfire. This is how the devastating Gatlinburg wildfire erupted overnight By Angela Fritz November 29, 2016 at 1:06 p.m. EST Wildfires raging in the Tennessee resort towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon. 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. 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. The fire resulted in the deaths of 14 people and more than $500 million in damage, with firefighting costs of more than $7 million. Also, for the last several decades, NPS policies have allowed these excessive fuels to build. Personally, I have already started reconstruction on my cabin but the consensus on Chalet Village north which was 540 cabins and now stands only at 20 remaining Is that about 70% are not rebuilding for a variety of reasons . Birmingham City close training ground after fire causes damage My family lives 15 mi. Thank-you Bill for your through and in depth analysis of this wildfires chain-of events. Copyright 2022 WVLT. Gusts above 40 continued until 2 a.m. on Tuesday when they mostly dropped below 20 mph for the rest of the day. 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. I have to assume that the city of Gatlinburg felt that since my road was county property that I was on my own. What good does it do to lynch those who are learning and gaining the very experience we expect and seek? 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. Rain began falling late Monday night and continued until 6 a.m. Tuesday, totaling 0.78 inch at Indian Grave. Resident of Western Maryland. China Bazaar, Puckers Sports Bar, Cafe 420,. The GRSM person that requested the Spot wrote: Concerned about ridgetop winds with the coming front. No. On Friday, Gatlinburg city officials released a report detailing the downtown fire on Oct. 9. When we got to the bottom of the mountain, we ran into the Sevier County Electric crew where the road was blocked. I am like you in that I will never be able to get a good nights sleep on the mountain again as Im all be consistently looking out the window. 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. Their inter-agency investigation needs to look at the 1st Chimney Tops Fire of the 12/13th to the 17th of November 2016. For the region, I hope fire officials do realize that regional history makes little difference if the right combination of factors exists for rapid and extreme fire growth. What Caused The Gatlinburg Fire - BikeHike
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