who caused the gatlinburg fires?

This fire as did others around this time had highly predictable potential for massive and rapid spread. 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 . I guess they are helping the people they always help and the rest of us are out of luck. Please keep in mind our commenting ground rules before you post a comment. He actually wrote me back on Christmas Eve, of all things, to tell me that they will keep after it. If you had transposed the same fire with similar conditions to California or Idaho would it have been managed the same way? They did too little, too late. Hopefully all of those affected will be able to begin again. Aircraft dropping water or fire retardant on a fire cannot put it out. I learned so much from the Incident Management Team websites for the various big fires in the mountains (Cohuttas, Joyce Kilmer, Standing Indian, Boteler, Tellico, Party Rock, Pinnacle Mountain). Humans will never be able to control or suppress all unwanted fires-structure, chemical or wildland. They probably feel they are fortunate and safe because they will not speak out on the topic until the criminal charges are completed against the two youth that perpetrated this fire but they would be foolish to do so as time just continues to churn the anger. During fire suppression efforts, crews found one person dead inside the structure. Anyone can arm chair quarterback incident manager decisions after the smoke clears. Fire kills 1, destroys businesses in downtown Gatlinburg, Tenn If the Park Service had done there job in the first place and City and County leaders would have stepped in and done something this could and would have been prevented. It is very hard and slow to navigate through laurel stands and the thick Tennesee Barbed Wire Briar patches. We discussed what we would/could do if we had to evacuate. Money. The town I live in in Kentucky has a $500 fine for tossing a cigarette out the window and we do not even have The potential for many brushfires. 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. 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. James, thank you for that compliment! From an all hazards POV large scale fire should have been recognized long before any drought conditions. It upset a lot of locals, but many lauded it. 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. If one is growing by experience you keep them moving forward as we all benefit from their learning and experience. Now I can only imagine what children or adults with issues might have gleaned from this message being broadcast. Fire crews were dispatched to a structure fire around 6:30. State charges dropped in Gatlinburg fires - Smoky Mountain News The only way they will learn from the fire is if they have to face a jury of their peers to account for their ineptness even know they were in charge of protecting us and our homes and they did neither. is TEMA didnt have the training. Gatlinburg Fire 2016: The Start. Classic Swiss Cheese risk management fire management failurehave we as a profession learned anything since South Canyon, Yarnell and now Chimney Top 2? Above: The Drought Monitor issued November 29 showed Exceptional Drought, the highest category, for the Gatlinburg area and large sections of Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, and South Carolina. 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. 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 . Second, why not attempt water drops and fire retardant despite their reasoning it wouldnt do any good. 321) at Glades Road and the Post Office. A mandatory evacuation should have been issued, at the latest, Monday morning, with reverse 911 calls, as well as loudspeaker equipped vehicles. 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? Authorities have not identified the victim or . 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. It is written by Stephanie Sweeney, whose house was off the Spur between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. The windspeed was 1 to 3 mph. The one picture showing a PVC clean-out with charring on it is a very good example of a very fast, hot torch of flame blasting a relatively small area. This would help the owners defray some costs so they can rebuild. 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. 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. Yet today June 5th, Sevier County still has their infamous gag order in effect more than 6 months later in the interests of prosecuting the trial of the murdurous kids. I told him there wasnt when I got there at 5 oclock but I could not even see driveways on the way up. Bob and Stanton snuck around back roads and made it in a few days earlier than most and found what we were fearing. 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. China Bazaar, Pucker's Sports Grill, Gifts of Gatlinburg, and Caf 420 were all deemed a complete loss. I began to notice people smoking while driving their vehicles when I would be out and about and they would flick burning embers out windows and sometimes throw cigarettes out windows. Do we need to learn from it. I hope the recordings werent pulled under threat of someones attorney or the DA. On Friday, Gatlinburg city officials released a report detailing the downtown fire on Oct. 9. Our neighbors 3 doors down were outside near their car. Neitherwas enough rain to halt the drought, of course, nor was it enough to have an extended effect on the the Chimney Tops 2 Fire. Copyright 2022 WVLT. GFD officials examined the scene and found a body, later identified as Joe Martin Bates, in Suite 4. City prosecutors have charged a longtime Mililani High School leader with multiple counts of theft. We need a growing pool of resources who have gained knowledge and wisdom hat can be applied to future events, not to lessen the pool by throwing out those who failed but are not a failure. On Wednesday, November 23, 2016 a hiker on the popular Chimney Tops Trail managed to capture a photo of two teenage boys dropping lit matches on the trail despite the current no-burn order in the area. The big, dead hemlocks are light grey with a circular limb pattern as viewed from the air. All of the big trees were gone (although younger trees had been treated and saved). On Monday, 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 . I guess they must think when you have to go up there to handle this mess they caused that you dont need lodging, food or gas to get there. I agree with you Bill that it isnt Most but whether it is a few or many isnt the point for me. Why? because poor, inadequate human decision making allowing basic fire physics, fire chemistry and TIME to align resulting in avoidable death and destruction! I agree, this has many players to blame and starts with Superintendent Cassius Cash and trickles down to the City and County. Along with other Park issues like un-managed timber (very limited burns, mostly fields, not forested areas), we concluded the saying demolition by neglect. There were ashes raining and that was very alarming to me. The learning system of resolution. Many times this tactic takes commitment of over a week. GATLINBURG, Tenn. ( WATE) A building destroyed by fire Sunday in downtown Gatlinburg has been torn down and the investigation into the cause continues. By NPS rules a watch should have been kept on the fire overnight Sunday, but such did not happen. This would explain why they are all covering for each other. I dont know details as to the trail. So this has affected everyone in the area in one form or another. That is when I said to myself Where the hell is TEMA?. I told him my home was on fire and he said they were evacuating everyone,then. They had their moment in history and did not rise to it. Much of the southeastern United States had been suffering extremely dry conditions for two to three months. I told her my concerns of fire, traffic, and falling trees blocking flow of traffic were there an emergency. This fire was a terrible tragedy and would require tremendous foresight on the part of such people to have kept people from harm and property from destruction, in this case, because people needed to be aware of the likelihood of the imminent danger they were facing if they stayed in Gatlinburg on Monday evening and overnight. When we got to end of Beech Branch Rd., and turned onto Spur, there was no traffic but the winds were getting worse. A few scattered, mostly Red Spruce, conifers are all that is left. These are the facts and simple truths that should not be ignored. Accusations were abundant. Join our group. The wind and the low visibility caused by the smoke made it impossible to fly aircraft over the fire. First of all I was very concerned when the wildfires started over in North Carolina, in some of the National Forest that border Great Smoky Mountain National Park. I checked historical aerial photos on the USGS website because the die-off of the hemlock has been primarily over the past 10 years in the southeastern Appalachians. 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. Bob and I had discussions about what we would do if we were to be surprised by wildfires up Beech Branch Road with no warning. How did I know that? You are aware that Bill Gabbert the Editor of Wildfire Today spent a large part of his fire carrier with the Park Service where I believe he was served on a nationwide Type I IMT. This should be placed firmly on the shoulders of the Park Service, Cassius Cash, Superintendent and the City and County. And no doubt books both factual and not on this event. wasnt blocked off since Mynatt Park was told to evacuate at 5:17. I have wanted to learn because I dont know enough to say much, but when I read your two posts about the loss of your cabin, and your escape, I felt I had to say, Im so sorry, to you, and probably speak for many many others who did not find this blog and find an avenue to learn, listen and to speak. Read more Tennessee Wildfire Cause: Gatlinburg Fires May Have Been Man-Made, Officials Claim is an article from: The Inquisitr News. All without the but why reflection, cause and effect analysis, drill down technique and the inter-relationship effect. It was so blatant and irresponsible of the media station to broadcast in this manner especially under the current circumstances. All three incidents have a common denominator. Thank-you Bill for your through and in depth analysis of this wildfires chain-of events. Yet if no one raises cain about it, things will be rebuilt with no regard for such safety factors. An ongoing lawsuit against the National Park Service over its handling of the 2016 Gatlinburg Wildfire is on hold as a federal judge considers a motion to dismiss the suit. Holding the responsible people accountable is the only course of action that honors what was lost. How many homes were lost in the Gatlinburg fire? 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. Humble yourselves to the Lord and seek HIS divine help. Suggestion, contact Dolly Parton or representatives of her holdings and give her (them) the emergency phone line to Global Supertankers. I think the point is that IMT managed wildfires in the southeast had residents in pre-evac mode when high winds were forecast before each cold front passed. All you left out was Howie Long jumping out of a plane on a motorcycle with a chainsaw running and you would have knocked that thing into last century! @wvlt pic.twitter.com/P7roVBCq8B. it would not be the first time that political or other motivation caused biased reporting. He asked them how or who we could contact to get emergency information. We, the public, have to be activists for our own safety, the very safety that public officials claim to protect. Fire those managers! He and the other NPS staff there regularly went on out of state assignments. The two juveniles who set a fire are not alone in this. The main road out of Gatlinburg is the Spur, which is the 5 mile stretch of Park Service Road that lies between Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. NPS can suppress the first fire; but not the second fire? Not sure why it matters, but you offered such a specific time, thought I would offer info to possibly make it more accurate. The leadership tetrahedron if you will, the area where all the parts come together based on the past, the current, the potential and the possible. I had heard that many of the stumps and rotted out trees had become abnormally dry because of the drought. I could not figure how to put pictures on Wildfire Today, so here are links to let you see whats happened in the Park. Considering the record of wind gusts between 5-6pm and that the fire had jumped US 441, NPS calling Gburg Fire Dept. The lines between reality and virtual reality or fake reality are so blurred. The Gatlinburg Fire Department was dispatched to the 700 block of Parkway in downtown Gatlinburg at 6:39 a.m. on October 9. There should be accountability for those in charge, in every arena of governance and responsibility and at every level. 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 . GATLINBURG, Tenn. UPDATE (Monday): Firefighters discovered a body in the rubble of these fires, our ABC affiliate WATE reported Monday morning. Chief Kurtz was right on target to compare South Canyon, Yarnell, and now Chimney Top 2. 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. 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. We could see the smoke. It is very hard and slow to navigate through laurel stands and the thick Tennesee Barbed Wire Briar patches. I am hopeful that there are enough folks taking note of and keeping a watchful eye out for this situation, so that lies and cover-up will be vetted. This was done to simply to avoid tort liability claims even though a claim was filed; and to avoid accountability. I have for years pointed out to my students the dead hemlock all over the mountain. The wind was blowing so hard it was difficult to stand up. For example politicians far away from the event make decisions regarding funding, resources and operations. 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. 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. A lot of chainsawing has been going on. It was hard to drive because of falling leaves, branches, smoke, wind, and nerves. We watched local news and weather forecasts. Why are there not more prescribed and controlled burns being conducted? From just across the Smokies in Bryson City, N.C./Swain county. He asked them if they could give us an update on the fire and they said no. I told him my home was on fire and he said they were evacuating everyone,then. One option could be helicopter fire repellers to repel into the fire and make an assessment of risk. Conspiracy, no. We have turned in a claim but still no word on a settlement. Thanks again for your touching reply. 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. 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! There are other potential hazards that make unplanned evacuations a danger in that area. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1477959465566642&id=100000578092120. I have a photo I took from the Walmart parking lot looking south that shows how smoky it was in Pigeon Forge. The next morning, the morning of 28th, I took boys to school and went to a dr. appointment in Sevierville. We were wearing bandanas wrapped around our faces at this point. For folks afflicted by this tragedy, emotions running high should be expected; and it is understandable for Kelly Morgan to be upset. Ive been told by others that they were waiting for the rain to move in based on the forecast and it didnt arrive when they expected so in the meantime they did nothing. Here is one interview I gave to a Cincinnati station 2-3 days after the fire. Tom. Mitchell, Mt. I have been walking the woods around Gatlinburg a lot since the Fire. Many, if not most, of these incidents leave the confines of the managing agency and sweep out onto lands owned or managed by others who had NO input into the original incident management strategy. Some of the seemingly inexplicable burn patterns are due to the wind driven nature. The fire continued to spread throughout the entire structure. Wildfire experts have been warning local government officials about the potential for a fire of this magnitude for years. 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. When peoples towns and lives are at stake, letting a fire burn or hoping to get lucky is a tough sell. When the rain started again at 8 a.m. the relative humidity rose into the 90s. Anticipating the fire season, firefighting resources (people and equipment) were brought in from around the Southeast and other parts of the country. The actual clifts are small and easily avoided. I may be alone in thinking that, but I do think the Feds would stand up to local influence. Oh thats right they did but it was after everything burned! 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. Just like the Mayor of Amity in Jaws, they didnt want the tourists to see this much reality. Would it be wise to implement backfire with such strong winds forecasted on top of exceptional drought and fuels? But the NPS didnt even follow their own rules in this case. Learning for the future is important if it includes changes in policy and procedure. 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. But the pickup trucks I encountered were full of wildfire firefighters, inside the City of Gatlinburg. 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. Which is why human history keeps repeating itself over and over. This eventually will affect us all at some point in time, as we too may one day find ourselves faced with similar circumstance. Even the Gatlinburg Fire Chief had been told on Sunday at 0900 that models had the fire hitting downtown Gatlinburg by Tuesday 1100. We went to West TN for Thanksgiving Holidays and came back home to Gatlinburg on Sunday. I parked truck right beside a big mound of rip rap that Bob had dumped for lining the ditches on sides of our neighborhood roads, which arent through roads. Officials keep repeating that nothing like this has ever happened here before so they cant be responsible. I was in my cabin the night of the fire and if I had spotted it a minute or so after I did I would not be alive to type this right now. 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. In this case, there were no firefighters in a position to take direct action. The use of smokejumpers could be part of the plan. Instead simply took pictures on their phone, 3. Period. a wind and weather event like they got, that resulted in fire spread that resulted the the state TEMA command center to have to relocate in the middle of the incident gives a picture of what they were dealing with. Photos: Fire in Gatlinburg, Tennessee | Photo Galleries | herald Thanksgiving weekend is one of the 4 busiest weekends for Gatlinburg and the National Park. Cafe 420 and Gifts of Gatlinburg were also destroyed. Our responses to this fire event have included comments with blame and fault-finding as well as a suggestion that we investigate in order to learn for future decision-making. Ive noted the contrast between how the Incident Management Teams approached the fires compared to the NPS. The earlier fire on the hill was named Chimney Tops hence the name Chimney Tops 2 for the new blaze. It now seems obvious that no housing development should have only road in and out. Nearly five years. My prayers are with all of you. 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. I hope to remedy that starting now! This is a text book example of waiting for rain and not planning for WHAT IF! 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. 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. I hope that EM officials and local planning officials reconsider what and how structures are rebuilt in that area. Unfortunately its the home owners that are taking the hit and I think it should be them. Yes, some the ridges connecting to chimney-tops had dead hemlock stands. They had no sirens or Claxons blaring, no shouting to evacuate thru their grill mounted speakers. Typically instead of outright termination, the NPS is classic just to relocate the personnel and in some cases give them a promotion to keep them happy and from whistle-blowing; or just live in a delusional world of denial. I would suggest that you read over Bills articles on this site regarding NPS releases information about the Chimney Tops Fire 2 and Analysis of wind, vegetation, and air tankers before the fire burned into Gatlinburg. Like hell he did. It is not a black and white world, not a this or that, it is all encompassing. It is a primary source and illuminates some of the discussion topics that have been on Wildfire Today. Our forest service guys have been very busy with hand efforts, running dozers in our hazardous terrain and with aircraft. So sometime during the night as we now know everything burned down. 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. 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. High winds were to start soon and rain was 5 hours away as indicated by radar. We waited as the days passed until we could go and see if ours had burned. I certainly hope the investigation of the totality of fire is not pressured to conclude prematurely. Experience must be coupled with training and planning based on forecasted possibilities and even un-forecasted what ifs. We had hiked to the Chimneys for the view many times it was easy to see the wind being funneled down from there to Gatlinburg just like an invisible whitewater river. The first thing you think is, Is this real?, said Tyler Neddo, a longtime employee of Caf 420. Id just like to ask folks to think about If prior experience of fires in the region may have betrayed fire managers this time. What Caused the Gatlinburg Fire of 2016? Here's the Real Story As one who has had experience and ready mix, concrete block, pavers, and pre-cast, one would be a fool to rebuild on ANY existing foundation that came in contact with temperatures approaching 3,000F. Civilians are dead, millions of dollars of personal property destroyed, millions of dollars were spent on containing the wildfirethe rains/snow finally suppressed it. 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.

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