The fire, which was reported at 6:39 a.m. Sunday in the 700 block of Parkway, caused extensive damage to a block of businesses, the city's spokesperson said. By the end of the day on Sunday the fire had burned approximately 35 acres, according to Ms. Schroer and the results from a mapping flight (see the 3-D mapabove). Fire aboard Spirit plane causes emergency landing, sends 10 to hospital However, they are using a Super Tanker to douse the flames going on down there. There are other potential hazards that make unplanned evacuations a danger in that area. Five days is a generous amount of time to request and receive firefighters. 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. 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. If Im not mistaken, there is a Bob Stanton that was a former NPS Director. A true lackadaisical response. Experience in itself is never enough. Their soft wood holds a lot of moisture normally, but the conditions the past few months would have dried the limbs and outer layers up the trunk. 100-acre brush fire causes evacuations in Collier County This is as far as this subject needs to go; for the objective of this site is in regard to wildfire. 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. Perhaps all the firefighters prior experience was giving them mental slides that were no longer valid given the conditions. He asked them if they had any information on the fire and they told him Youve got nothing to worry about. By this time the wind was blowing hard and strong. Finally a local coalition was formed to put pressure on NPS officials to uphold their mandate on historic structures. 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. Suddenly a fire truck from Harriman came careening around the corner and headed up Turkey Nest Road. Hong Kong skyscraper fire could mean $64M payout, cause under investigation The Gatlinburg Space Needle fire (July 1992) In 1992, a fire destroyed Ripley's Gatlinburg Museum which was, at the time, located at the base of the needle. Officials identified Robert A. Hejny, 63, who was found at Traveler's Motel in Gatlinburg. We have also come upon many campfires that tent campers and others thought or extinguished but were back to a full burn with not adequate fire breaking around it. Like hell he did. And I dont write about that many of them. During fire suppression efforts, crews found one person dead inside the structure. The report said the fire was an accident and caused around $7 million in damages. At any rate, I have not heard any knowledgeable person say acquiring resources during those first five days was a major difficulty. 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. NO managing wildfire is much more complex, especially in a multiple fire drought driven incident like managers were dealing with on this incident. I just hope, like Jeannine, that fire managers can learn from this tragedy because we really need the tool of prescribed fire in the tool box. Stanton wanted to go but I was afraid to for several reasons. Oddly, some folks that posted photos of the fire of the 23rd in its early stages have either pulled the blogs or the material cannot be accessed. Why the complacency? Every business downtown was closed except for Bubba Gumps. According to FOX 5's Matthew Cappucci the smoke plume got to about 3,600 feet and . The Seiver County Medical Examiner's office identified the man as 54-year-old Joe Martin Bates, according to the City of Gatlinburg. Undoubtedly, the current management of our natural resources will come before the Judgments of the Almighty; for human lives were lost in this fire. Thank you for the timeline and the opportunity for comments. Too often the only voice that is heard in our society is money and the more one has the more they are heard. It would make suppression efforts difficult, but a fire break could have been constructed around the original slow-moving fire in the early days. I called Bob back and told him I was leaving hurriedly and that I would call him when we had made it out of woods to Pigeon Forge. Some of the towns most impacted were Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, both near Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I remember a news 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. 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. People that I know said that not implementing fire suppression is exactly what they should have done, so we can agree to disagree. Now I can only imagine what children or adults with issues might have gleaned from this message being broadcast. In this case, there were no firefighters in a position to take direct action. Humans lostfire won. Another 2.3 inches accumulated that day by the time it stopped at 7 p.m. The report stated the roof started to collapse, and the building was deemed too unsafe to work inside. They will be touched in their heart as deeply as anyone who has lost in the tragedy itself. Screenshot from the Knox News video. How far from the Chimney Tops, as the crow flies, were these pictures taken? 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. They have tied their hands and resources through environmental forestry management. We checked the Spot Weather Forecasts that were requested by the NPS and issued by the NWS for the Chimney Tops 2 Fire. (Credit: Tom Williams), Two people in custody after police chase, manhunt near Warrior & Hayden, Protest held in memory of Glenn Foster Junior, Fire department K-9 dies during search and rescue mission. I particularly liked Sharon Jensens after action summary. Easy for many of you to sit back and Monday morning quarterback when you dont have skin in the game as I did. There was a tree down on road out but we were able to drive around it. I think this is more often than not the case. Any time our community suffers a great loss or devastation like this, it impacts everybody, she said. So this has affected everyone in the area in one form or another. The park needs to share accountability in this situation, and all of us who have formerly worked in fire realize this. She saw a fire and called 911. I turned on tv to see if there were warnings of any sort. That didnt happen here. They felt this was an attempt to start a forest fire and it was reported to officials. The NPS investigation team has all this information and everything posted on Wildfire Today and a lot of info that was never made public. Many on that team are not NPS employees, but are highly experienced wildfire fighters. Who knows what the climate will bring next year. The helicopter worked until it had to refuel and then two other Type 1 helicopters took its placeuntil dark. It was considered a total loss after yesterdays fire. This isnt finger pointing its the simple facts of the entire situation like it or not! All of the big trees were gone (although younger trees had been treated and saved). What is these adults had taken immediate action to correct and intervene in this unsafe behavior by children. I was nervous about it. China Bazaar, Puckers Sports Grill, Gifts of Gatlinburg, and Caf 420 were all deemed a complete loss. Unfortunately, Im not optimistic about the inter-agency review. Jeannine, its obvious that you write from the heart, and you write so well it is indeed inspirational. 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. People who live in forested areas need to be aware of fire danger. I was on the phone w them that Mon. The remains of a business in Gatlinburg, Tenn., smolder on Nov. 29, after a devastating wildfire damaged or destroyed more than 2,000 buildings and killed at least 14 people. There was lots of sunlight and lots of low-level vegetation so much that the trail was overgrown and we decided to turn around. Steve Brueck of DaculaWeather.com suppied us with Local Storm Report Informationfrom the National Weather Service that includes wind gust speeds in the general area. I saw Wyoming and Colorado engines being demobalized after containment. This appears to be the case once again. There are a lot of downed trees and a lot of trails are temporarily closed to deal with them. Not the best plan but the safest. 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. I repeat The NPS and the Fire Chief of Gatlinburg should have started fighting the Chimney Tops 2 fire aggressively the day it was discovered. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Try to stay neutral I understand; but the NPS has a track record of avoiding accountability. This would explain why they are all covering for each other. Thus, private, State, or other agencies get left holding the bag, as it were. On November 23 when the fire was discovered the KBDI was 599, Molly Schroer, a spokesperson for the IMT told us. Those businesses were also protected from the fire. 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. The truck was filled with firefighters. The fire resulted in the deaths of 14 people and more than $500 million in damage, with firefighting costs of more than $7 million. On Oct. 9, a woman who was working at the Ripleys Aquarium smelled smoke and walked up to 745 Parkway Suite 4 to investigate. time. Intense, deep burning fires with significant downwind spotting should be expected. The fire did not get up the valley to the Alum Cave Parking Lot, and LeConte Lodge is fine. These things dont come with the same cheap city plans out here in the rural mountainous zones! It is truly appreciated. How many resources were on how many fires at that time in this region and in others? Report: Gatlinburg fire caused $7 million in damages Authorities have not identified the victim or . Good point, Ms. Horton. Lets just live in denial, honor the government no matter what; and allow history to repeat itself with numerous secular and religious dictators. We drove carefully and made it out of woods into Pigeon Forge safely. Both east and west forks of the Pigeon River. By the way, I havent seen any local media covering much for the victims since the coverage with Jerry and the pursuit of compensation. 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. Being an avid mountain hiker, I had seen evidence of fires from decades ago (Graveyard Fields being a macro example, but most prior fires in the forest were just like the ones this fall floor duff and fallen dead wood). I just assumed that others would be leaving Gatlinburg out of concerns similar to mine. OF COURSE the dead hemlocks (and spruces and firs) are changing the picture for fire danger. Apparently, when the second fire was started by the defendants on the 23rd, the NPS assumed they could handle the 23rd fire like they did the first fire of the 14th. Prayers for Gatlinburg - Fairborn Daily Herald Thank-you Bill for your through and in depth analysis of this wildfires chain-of events. Do arsonists typically work alone? National Park Service Supervisory Park Ranger (Protection) in By the time the troops were called in, it was too late. On the radio, a man in the Forestry truck was somewhere around the Roaring Fork area (as I recall) looking for possible spot fires reported near a residence and was talking about the strong winds. But fires are getting nastier everywhere and folks keep saying past fire history isnt as good a guide as it used to be. 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. The man at the Forestry base told him the winds were predicted to keep getting stronger and to be careful of falling limbs. Why hasnt the NPS mentioned this first fire of the 14th? I certainly hope the investigation of the totality of fire is not pressured to conclude prematurely. He promised a committee to study what happened and there has been no word since. I can name 14 people who deserved much better! Im sorry but that initial fire management at the outset was atrocious. She has given me permission to share it on this site. Just a reminder to all, wildfires knows no boundaries, political beliefs, policy or management decisions just simple laws of physics and science from S-190: Basic Fire Behavior fuels, weather, topography and an ignition source plus extreme, well documented, long term drought conditions equals a recipe for conflagration, death and destruction. Tom. We left Monday the 28th around 10:30 A.M. we could smell smoke but our home was fine and so was all of the rest of them in Chalet Village North. Where is his accountability? Branson is built into the mountainous forests of south-central Missouri, is a resort town, and a retirement community and entertainment venue. As long as there are watchdogs for the truth such yourself, it will be hard to bury. But, that team is there to give future corrective actions, not to formulate lawsuits. What good does it do to lynch those who are learning and gaining the very experience we expect and seek? This is from previous questioning of mine from another Wildfire Today article: Team to Begin Chimney Tops 2 Fire: I appreciate your more thorough break down of backfire. It was Congress that adjourned for the holidays without passing a bill to fund forest fire fighting efforts. I know as I have been there many times due to security interests. Thank all of you. 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. Who can or will hold them accountable for their part in this tragedy? Perhaps he needs a bit of prompting to remind him that the public will not forget what happened. The winds that Monday afternoon had knocked power lines down and early reporting made mention of separate ignition points in the residential hillsides. Gatlinburg businesses look to rebuild after massive fire Person killed in downtown Gatlinburg fire identified. Officials say the road will be closed for an extended period. Numerous photos show a dramatic increase in smoke in the downtown area between 5 and 5:30 pm. I told him my home was on fire and he said they were evacuating everyone,then. Once again the County and the City is sitting around twiddling their thumbs and doing nothing just like they did when the fire started and they could have contained it. He was told there was none/no one. That would mean your timeline of the last water drop would possibly vary 15-45 minutes depending on the helibase location and flight time to the dipsite. They couldnt get out a cell mssg. So property owners are left to deal with everything and if we had the power we would have done something like worrying the crap out of all of them until action was taken. But. Chalet Village Gatlinburg, Tommy there is a class action lawsuit being formulated by a Knoxville attorney. I am glad so many are taking a look at this situation, and hopefully never loosing sight of the intention to improvement and a better way. I appreciate that fine quality of writing that expresses your thoughts in an easy to read yet structured style that makes sense. At least one of them drove up the street below our house and parked there for about an hour. It is to be considered, but verified by other means. Stupidity is as stupidity does. As for Caf 420, they have plans to rebuild, and their employees will keep their jobs. Blame, no. There were ashes raining and that was very alarming to me. They didnt and now its the property owners problem, they havent offered any clean up assistance, free dumping fees, no permit cost to rebuild, and certainly no financial help. I realize some of my questioning is speculative and yet legitimate. After working full time in wildland fire for 33 years, he continues to learn, and strives to be a Student of Fire. Honor those who have risked much to help, indeed. 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. At about 5:20 p.m. the fire was discoverednear the top of a steep hill called Chimney Tops not far from where another fire occurred about a week before. Common since would tell you a mountain fire in wind and drought would move very fast!!! We are still dealing but two of us or degree, the emotional loss of losing our beloved cabin but now we are in the rebuild mode. You bet you were. Birmingham City close training ground after fire causes damage Thanks Henry. Hindsight is 20/20 and of course much coulda woulda shoulda is understandable. Needless to say one tanker run can drop more water than two helicopters can do in a full day. I love the mountains, but can I feel safe again? The age of information is both eye opening and scary, the potential for manipulation is astounding! Given enough time the clock will run out and the weather will either be in the fire mangers favor or WATCH OUT! Asked if I knew if there were any other people down in that area. Only 0.05 inch fell at the Indian Grave Remote Automatic Weather Station 18 miles west of the fire. Click here. Someone must have started the fire. Ive learned so much on this blog over the past 6 weeks about how forest fires are managed and fought and Im most grateful for that.

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