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? If you search around, you can find a recorded radio transmission by TN Forestry personnel from that fateful morning (my old brain doesnt remember where it was posted and I didnt bookmark it, but some other WFT readers may know). They didnt want CNN down there declaring their tourist town a death trap. Alice Hagler was reported missing by her family and later confirmed dead. 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. Why were there so many wildfires being lit by arsonists all of a sudden this year? We need to hold, that experience though often shared, does not fit into every mold, because in the real world though some laws are universal, there is always changing variable and situations are never really exactly the same. The truck was filled with firefighters. Ash move in quickly after a fire, and through the yearly process of shedding their leaves, make it difficult for seeds from the Red Spruce/Fraser Fir/Hemlocks to make an effective seed-soil contact, thus when we lose one of these magnificent evergreen forests, it truly is a tragedy in more ways than one. By the time the troops were called in, it was too late. They got info from NPS about the fire spreading. I would hope that we would fund the National Park Service much better so that cost-cutting is not so high on their priorities. 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. 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. Even Congressman from east TN and western NC need to here it. Unfortunately its the home owners that are taking the hit and I think it should be them. I dont know details as to the trail. This would explain why they are all covering for each other. I certainly hope the investigation of the totality of fire is not pressured to conclude prematurely. 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. Digression from Comment Thread 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. 119K views 4 months ago GATLINBURG Many people get worried when they hear the words Gatlinburg and Fire in the same sentence. Wildland firefighters typically request Spot Weather Forecasts from the NWS for wildland fires or other events that can be greatly influenced by weather. Tom. We drove carefully and made it out of woods into Pigeon Forge safely. 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. Drought, fall winds, fuel moistures that havent recovered in months, what part of this disaster was a surprise. There will be legal repercussions because of incompetence. The coordination and communication of the Incident Management teams is impressive. Are city and county officials learning to use the expensive Motorola radio system that would have allowed various agencies to communicate when cell service went down? When we got to end of Beech Branch Rd., and turned onto Spur, there was no traffic but the winds were getting worse. Kelly you are right, NO Help from City or County in the clean up..SOS home owners responsible for all.. The earlier fire on the hill was named Chimney Tops hence the name Chimney Tops 2 for the new blaze. notice should have been at 5-6 given the wind. Finding out about the fire has hurt me almost as much as it did the locals. 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. A little later the local TV news reported the fire had crossed the road and was headed up the mountain behind the Park Vista. I was on the phone w them that Mon. The Gatlinburg ByPass is also closed. Im totally with you accountability. 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. Instead simply took pictures on their phone, 3. As a mountain boy who loves the harshest terrain even I couldnt imagine trying to run a fire line in this area. Experience must be coupled with training and planning based on forecasted possibilities and even un-forecasted what ifs. This Park Ranger was appointed to this position in December 2014 and he took office in February 2015, so in a span of one year and nine months he managed to let the place burn and we have owned property there for 32 years and nothing remotely like this has ever happened. Im not saying GRSM made the right or wrong decision, there is just a lot more involved then saying they didnt suppress it promptly. She has given me permission to share it on this site. However, I still wonder why there has been no word from the governor about the post-fire review team he promised. The report stated the roof started to collapse, and the building was deemed too unsafe to work inside. I have seen local hiking pictures that appear to show two separate smoke columns on Saturday 11/26. 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. As we drove in the smoke was no better than it had been when we left cabin, it was worse. 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 . It was gorgeous -huge, huge trees, open forest floor, very dark, very cool, very moist. A high-elevation area that possessed the largest unbroken Spruce-Fir forest in the S. Appalachians. With that said: were NPS officials aggressive enough in seriously emphasizing to Gatlinburg officials to start preparing for mandatory evacuations? Whomever is in charge locally for the NPS should also be summarily fired. Thats totally untrue. Its incredulous that evacuation didnt go out then. Though it will never be heard in our courts today, dont think the Almighty isnt going to bring it to Light; for human death was involved and the facts were dodged plan and simple. However, to expect her to honor the NPS is inappropriate considering reality and her circumstances. But those heroes should have never been in that situation in the first place. Branson is built into the mountainous forests of south-central Missouri, is a resort town, and a retirement community and entertainment venue. Whether a tornado, hurricane or natural disaster, it weighs on your psyche. 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. For reference, 600 or above would indicate severe drought andincreased wildfire occurrence. Years ago, the NPS wasnt maintaining the churches in Cades Cove of the Smokies. Screenshot from the Knox News video. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the GFD, Gatlinburg Police Department and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. The person or people responsible for the fire have not yet been found. Our local congressional representative will be the first to confront the Park Service for numerous shortfalls, bias agendas that cater to special interest groups, and a host of other issues to where the NPS serves itself more so than the people. 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. A massive wildfire in the Tennessee resort towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge has destroyed more than 150 structures, including homes and businesses, authorities said Tuesday. The Chimney Tops fire was a wildfire being monitored given limited resources initially because of the many other ongoing fires in the region to which fire-fighting resources were committed. If an aircraft will be en route to a lit helibase or airport, they can drop 30 minutes after sunset then fly to the lit facility. We have turned in a claim but still no word on a settlement. Yet no one will be severely punished i.e. Below is the stateof access to the fire area, as reported by the IMT: The National Park is closed from the Gatlinburg Entrance to Smokemont near Oconaluftee (US 441, Newfound Gap) and Little River Road from Sugarlands Visitor Center to Townsend. and last updated 4:48 AM, Apr 05, 2022. The NPS, IMO, did not take an aggressive stance on this fire, and that is usually the case with them. They have tied their hands and resources through environmental forestry management. What is unconstitutional here is that if this first fire of the 14th is under investigation, then certain parties have committed obstruction of justice. The fire was approximately 8 acres in size, according to GRSM. . 2 min read. 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. Numerous photos show a dramatic increase in smoke in the downtown area between 5 and 5:30 pm. I also noted that the use of Red Flag Alerts and prescribed burning around some of the more populace areas was both lacking, and being conducted during predicted high wind conditions. 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. I wish the Feds had kept the case instead of handing it off to the local DA. Please keep in mind our commenting ground rules before you post a comment. Their lack of extended skill training is apparent. By the way, the drainage to the northwest, where NPS had placed their line, is .2 mile and ~1,000 feet vertical (77% grade) of mostly weathered rock. It was as if time had passed with no motivational disaster to spur this awareness, at least not in my local community. 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. On the night before I left for Branson, I had terrible nightmares of being caught in a forest fire in Branson. Yet no one made a move. There will be no access to Wiley Oakley or Westgate from the Spur. On-the-ground fire suppression activity took place Monday when firefighters took defensive action to protect structures at a nearby GRSM picnic area. It is now time for aircraft (usually helicopters) to start washing the fire off the hill. time. The fire, which was reported at 6:39 a.m. Sunday in the 700 block of Parkway,. 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. This lack of serious response is all too obvious. 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 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. During the investigation, fire officials interviewed a cleaner of Loco Burro who saw a person matching Bates description the morning of the fire. I understand the excellent point made in the article that history in the Smokies area would expect less of a problem than out West. That mall is also rigidly enforced. LeConte. 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. Some of the seemingly inexplicable burn patterns are due to the wind driven nature. In addition, officials confirmed that a firefighter was transported to the hospital with minor injuries from the fire but has since been released. This leads to continuation of the same issues over and over because the root of the problems are not being dealt with, and therefore it is just a matter of time before another failure occurs and someone else becomes the blamed one, totally ignoring the real issues. Bob called. The coolness and the moisture were gone. Some of those GSMNP personnel were trained out west and know how fast a wildfire spreads in high winds. Whatever happened to good old common sense decisions considering the drought, excessive fuels, and weather! The windspeed was 1 to 3 mph. Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. Still cant seem to get any answers if the BACKFIRES got out of control when the NPS ignited them contributing to the loss of life and structures in Gatlinburg??? 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? It is written by Stephanie Sweeney, whose house was off the Spur between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. Thanks again for this forum. Their are undoubtedly many many causative factors for any disaster, even the actions, inactions and unintentional actions can be like a snowball rolling down a mountain of snow! 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. At least that is my understanding. The fire was south of Gatlinburg. I think anyone that is from this area could see this could be a very dangerous fire from the first day!! I felt it urgent to get out of the woods. Our house sat below the road about 30 feet. It was a very horrible dream and I had qualms about my trip before I arrived in Branson. Bill, correct me if I am wrong, but aircraft should be on the ground a half hour after sunset? These fires were allowed to cook with little or no suppression action. These breaks downs undoubtedly show shortcomings by officials. Officials identified Robert A. Hejny, 63, who was found at Traveler's Motel in Gatlinburg. This is a failure at the city, county and state levels, as well as top FEMA, leadership. In my eyes, TEMA should have taken control of the situation and ordered evacuations before sunset. I hear of those who didnt leave until 9:00 that night. Most of the people that own property down there like me live elsewhere in the real world were things cannot be as easily shoved under the rug like they are down there. A voluntary evacuation should have been issued at least 36 hours before the fire exploded. Who ever was in charge should loose their job!!! Shame on you. The appearance of dead hemlock progression is astounding. Thank you for this excellent synopsis. I was struck by the daunting task of creating a viable fire-prevention plan in that area of constant tourist turnover, and the way it is laid-out. Millions of dollars will be spent recovering and mitigating the after effects of this human caused and exasperated wildfire. Those decisions had to be made with the best information available at the time not what we now know in post incident critique. Bob had stayed in West TN after Thanksgiving, to work there for a few days before returning home so he wasnt with us. They had identifiedon a map a 410-acre fire management area which, depending on weather conditions, may allow for further fire growth. A lot of personnel put forth heroic efforts to save lives and we should all be grateful for that. What really was going on here? No evacuation orders issued- If I had gone to work that day my two sons would be dead. The leaves that had hung on into late Fall because of lack of winds and rain for months began to rain from the trees in copious amounts and there were leaf funnels forming and it was hard as we ran from cabin to car loading Abram and Lady. People who live in forested areas need to be aware of fire danger. Managers may need to keep resources in reserve for initial attack on new fires rather than a Hit it with all you have the Moment it breaks out. strategy. There was two contributing factors to this disaster. Fire managers brought in resources from all over the country. They had their moment in history and did not rise to it. Crews working a Gatlinburg structure fire that began early Sunday morning discovered a body. Bats were roosting in the church rafters and dropping feces onto the pews. 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. 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. 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. Google and Bing maps give a pretty good idea of the expanse of dead hemlocks. You forgot lack of funding to adequately staff the park. Maybe a second year of drought? Despite that, officials now say that the Gatlinburg fire began in the park and was. I can hear it now, hasnt the NPS learned anything in the past 10-20 yrs? they may be using too wide a brush to place blame. 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? On Friday, Gatlinburg city officials released a report detailing the downtown fire on Oct. 9. wasnt blocked off since Mynatt Park was told to evacuate at 5:17. There is much opportunity in the Eastern Appalachians to better prepare citizens, towns , leaders and firefighters; To create more fire aware and safe communities. With the drought conditions this would have acted as a flammable liquid would with explosive ignition and then been carried easily by the prevailing strong winds. Neddo said total shock is the only way to describe how he feels. We discussed what we would/could do if we had to evacuate. 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 . Tunica, MS, from our area near Kansas City, to arrive late evening, that day, in Tunica. The Knox News timeline alone has enough info for several indictments. 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. Branches were hitting the house with a great deal of force. Much needed rainfall is expected on Monday with additional rainfall possible through Wednesday. We, the public, have to be activists for our own safety, the very safety that public officials claim to protect.