I look forward to seeing the report when it comes out. With all due respect to your comment, you seem to be a bit condescending toward some folks asking very legitimate questions; and giving the impression you are trying to the get the heat off the back of NPS officials. I went back a few years ago and it was completely different. What Caused the Gatlinburg Fire of 2016? Here's the Real Story The truck was filled with firefighters. Much of the southeastern United States had been suffering extremely dry conditions for two to three months. But the condition of the fuel was also important since it happenedduring what the National Weather Service (NWS) calls exceptional drought conditions. I am thankful so many are not only opening their eyes here, but taking action and questioning. 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. 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. Downtown Gatlinburg Fire at Puckers Sports Grill & More (OCT 9, 2022) We must open our eyes and ears and check behind each corner and crevice to see the reality and not just the story being told by a few. 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. 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. I am a property owner in the Lake of the Ozarks, in Missouri, and oddly enough, had just returned from a trip to Branson, Missouri. 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. 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. Money. I got out of the car and walked up to the side of the pickup truck. You bet you were. It was a very horrible dream and I had qualms about my trip before I arrived in Branson. There is a time and a season for prescribed/monitored fire and that time is NOT during an historic drought and fire season in the SE US with numerous ongoing large fires and a very well predicted wind and storm event. But all sitting back and doing nothing to help. 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. It seems that not even people in western areas have learned that lesson very well, and now it is time for those with homes and property in the east to realize they are at risk too. We are emotional beings, we feel and we have the capability to think. Since we had been planning all day to go downtown to play trivia at Smoky Mountain Brewery, we left the house about 5:55PM. Forecasts were issued each day from November 24 through 27; we could not find one for November 28 the day the fire burned into Gatlinburg. 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. This is a failure at the city, county and state levels, as well as top FEMA, leadership. A fire burning under those conditions would likely burn more intensely, have a rate of spread faster than normal, and have more resistance to control. Stantons car was full of gas and only has liability insurance. Until you sit in my seat after 20 years of fire service, making decisions on where to send your firefighters based on their experience levels, you will then realize decisions have trade offs and sometimes Mother Nature over rules you. Which is why human history keeps repeating itself over and over. I hold you in my thoughts and prayers for healing and recovery there are others who have posted about their losses on this blog, Kelly for one, and I did not give myself peymidfipn to say these words to them at the time .. The reason that is a point is IMT has experience far beyond any fire teams in east TN or GSMNP, especially with wind-driven wildfires. In late 2016, wildfires . 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. Emergency management should have been all over this from the very beginning. 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. Rippetoe hopes the destruction isnt there much longer and all businesses lost can return. It was shaking the car as we drove. Oh thats right they did but it was after everything burned! 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. You have my utmost respect for firefighting; and Ive recently addressed a firefighter who was an apparent spokesman for the local media patty-caking. The report said the fire was an accident and caused around $7 million in damages. Hong Kong skyscraper fire could mean $64M payout, cause under investigation If youve ever been in an incident management role you understand often having made a good decision given the best information available at the time you dont get the outcome you want. However, by the time a federal judge dropped the charges six months later, some had lost focus on the fire. Neither the NPS nor the city wanted CNN cameras covering a mass evacuation of a town jam packed with tourists on Thanksgiving weekend. Officials identified Robert A. Hejny, 63, who was found at Traveler's Motel in Gatlinburg. The terrain was steep, a vertical distance of 1,300 feet from the bottom of the drainages to the top of the hill. As I reflect on the comments regarding this fire, the articles and analysis, as well as any instance of leadership, decision-making and accountability, I have to askHow is it that one gets experience? All those who have experience from saythe wildfires out west, were not born with it. There is simply too much BS. The winds were blowing from the Chimneys more down the mountain than up toward LeConte. Had they viewed the Chimney Tops 2 fire as though it was in the forested southwest Im sure they would have issued pre-evacuation notices up to 48 hours prior to the wind events of that Monday. We watched the news the rest of evening. I bet someone of you one here would sing a different tune if you loss a big chunk of your retirement because of someone incompetence. I can feel for the service providers and the devastated fire victims. Click here. Report: Gatlinburg fire caused $7 million in damages Great info/synopsis of the Gatlinburg/Sevier county wildfires. I would like to express that there are sincere and dedicated folks working for the National Park Service. Photos: Fire in Gatlinburg, Tennessee | Photo Galleries | herald The Gatlinburg ByPass is also closed. 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. Thats totally untrue. Gatlinburg Fire 2016: The Start. Gatlinburg businesses look to rebuild after massive fire Above: Chimney Tops 2 Fire at 9:37 p.m. November 28, 2016 after it had burned into Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Also. What caused the Gatlinburg wildfire? The three places the fire was stated to have been seem to line up pretty straight on the map. milepost 316. Where is his accountability? Anyone who has toured the hillsides where most of the homes that were destroyed would know immediately how difficult evacuations would be. Great job on this website, it is very informative and I recommend it to everyone in the business. From my back ground in fire, safety and as a fire investigator I see the development of a chain of multiple, unusual and totally unexpected events leading up to final blowup. 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. Their inter-agency investigation needs to look at the 1st Chimney Tops Fire of the 12/13th to the 17th of November 2016. On-the-ground fire suppression activity took place Monday when firefighters took defensive action to protect structures at a nearby GRSM picnic area. 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. Im surprised Cherokee Orchard Rd. By the time the troops were called in, it was too late. Later it changed to a mandatory evacuation. Officials said three people were found dead from fires in the Chalet Village area, and one person was discovered dead near a motel on Highway 321. As it turned out the sprinklers were far above affordable means and way outside the parameters quoted by the NFPA for the cost of a standard sprinkler system so we did not get them. The needle suffered extensive damage and was closed for three years. Well I can say that if TEMA announced right now and emergency message to my cell phone in the east TN mountains I would never get a thing. I had these thoughts: if fire spreads from Chimney Tops and starts coming towards Gatlinburg, people are going to be getting gas and getting out. Though once high winds hit, given the conditions there was no stopping the fire from destroying property. The first thing you think is, Is this real?, said Tyler Neddo, a longtime employee of Caf 420. Superintendent Cash says the NPS has no jurisdiction to issue evacuations for the City of Gatlinburg. NPS can suppress the first fire; but not the second fire? Chalet Village Gatlinburg, Tommy there is a class action lawsuit being formulated by a Knoxville attorney. 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. A friend that owns a rental company there said that about 90% of the homes in the area which leave them 10% they can rent or sale. 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. The day after the fire was reported 0.12 inch of rain was recorded at the official weather station recognized by the NWS, which may have made the managers of Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM) feel a little better about this new fire. When I built a home here just a few years ago and wanted to have a sprinkler system installed, I was told we dont have big wildfires here. Even if the new construction doesnt suffer from the eventual degradation of the old foundation, years after you have rebuilt and want to sell your cabin, due to prior disclosure malls when you tell a prospective buyer that your foundation went through the 100 year fire which burned your foundation at 1400 to 3000 F, only a fool would buy it. All rights reserved. That is when it would have been prudent to announce a pre-evacuation notice for the Gatlinburg area to be ready to evacuate if an evacuation order is announced. Cleanup continued Tuesday, with crews piling up rubble near Traffic Light 6 on the Gatlinburg Pkwy. A few scattered, mostly Red Spruce, conifers are all that is left. The helicopter worked until it had to refuel and then two other Type 1 helicopters took its placeuntil dark. People lost their lives and homes because no warnings!!! This is how we all get better at what we do and are. I would rather have someone on the job who has screwed up, erred and learned from the experience as I know that the chances of a repeat performance are lessened and for most learners they will progress forward with even better decision making skills. I am just saying that it is not necessary to lynch someone in order to hold them accountable. Body found in rubble of Gatlinburg fire - wtvq.com 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. 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. 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. There is a marked increase in smoke and decreasing visibility due to the smoke. All together this was the absolute worse place to have a fire at almost the worst time, save it was lucky to not have been a few weeks earlier. The use of smokejumpers could be part of the plan. Years ago, the NPS wasnt maintaining the churches in Cades Cove of the Smokies. I asked my husband to go outside and hook up the water hose we had disconnected for winter. Im sorry but that initial fire management at the outset was atrocious. Also, lots of hills in the area washed to bedrock by cloud burst and slides. Even this article seems to skirt around some of the issues and miss the depth of analysis it needs to effect meaningful change. We were there from May until early November. 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. Amazingly, some locals have whined about Knox News and Wildfire Today pointing out facts and timelines while ignoring the fact that it was Congress that cut the National Forest and National Park budgets. 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. Virtually no one knows they have it and THEY DID NOT USE IT. But. I felt it urgent to get out of the woods. Can fire experts examine burned areas and decipher the path of natural wildfire from managed ignited fires? I hear of those who didnt leave until 9:00 that night. If we are so quick to remove those who are learning from their experience, successes and failures, do we not lessen the potential to create and benefit from more experts who will have more knowledge and wisdom to apply to future events? According to the great gag order, government officials should not be commenting???? Our place was gone. Intention is important, even in a court of law, intention ways heavily on the sentencing. ), lack of knowledge of alternative communication systems (the Motorola area wide emergency radio system installed last year). There was a yellow glow in the skies which has always been indicative of severe weather where we came from. I understand the excellent point made in the article that history in the Smokies area would expect less of a problem than out West. But the NPS didnt even follow their own rules in this case. Civilians are dead, millions of dollars of personal property destroyed, millions of dollars were spent on containing the wildfirethe rains/snow finally suppressed it. I told her my concerns of fire, traffic, and falling trees blocking flow of traffic were there an emergency. For now there is heartbreak and hindsight on the part of every one now. Thanksgiving Day Global Supertanker 747 is responding to wild fires in Israel. The dead hemlock had to have been of huge impact to the fire. The fire, which was reported at 6:39 a.m. Sunday in the 700 block of Parkway,. Despite that, officials now say that the Gatlinburg fire began in the park and was. Another factor in the tragic outcome goes way beyond any mismanagement of the fire in its early period. I was in my cabin on 28 November and barely made it out alive. That should have been done over Thanksgiving! We stopped at another neighbors house. 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. What caused the fire in the Smoky Mountains? Nicely put together article. My boys and I do not have images of wildfires that we would have seen had we waited to leave home. Incident Mgt. National Park Service says never push a slower friend down when escaping a bear, Knoxville utilities crews work to restore power after intense storms, Missing elderly Knoxville woman last seen at hospital, police say, Vols drop to 5-seed in SEC Tournament after falling at Auburn, 79-70. the downtown fire on Oct. 9 that killed one person and injured another. I hope that the firefighters, leaders, and authorities in this area make sure to perform in depth After Action Reviews and make changes to avoid these issues in the future. All rights reserved. What really was going on here? So sometime during the night as we now know everything burned down. It is important to look at many facets, evidence and root cause studies so that the issues can be resolved. Many, if not most, of these incidents leave the confines of the managing agency and sweep out onto lands owned or managed by others. Fire those managers! Over 130 sustained injuries, and 1,684 structures have been damaged or destroyed. All the guy in the truck told us was that they had dug a fire line and were told to wait here. Then another large red pickup came down from Turkey Nest Road and stopped in front of us. November 27th, 35 acres. Almost every creek drainage in GSMNP has stands of dead hemlocks (though some areas near roads had some hemlocks treated regularly to prevent adelgid infestation). I picked them up and came back home with plans of bringing truck back over mountain and filling it up because it was near empty. Jeannine, what an awesome, in-depth and thoughtful response. Its all in moderately dense forest that overhangs above the road. In addition thorough explanations could have been given for the reasons for calling for the Voluntary Evacuation and could have been published. The fire season last year set new records in the state for the expansive area that burned, with more than 4.2m acres (1.7m hectares) scorched by more than 9,900 fires across California. There is an old saying he is known for: When government cannot accept criticism from the people, secular authority is no longer a democracy, but a dictatorship (paraphrased). This fire as did others around this time had highly predictable potential for massive and rapid spread. Experience in itself is never enough. 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. Lets hope that this round regarding the fire and loss of life, it will be more difficult for officials to weasel out of this one. I said a quick prayer for safety and we started up hill to leave our truck. Accusations were abundant. A year or two ago, there was a small fire on Rocky Spur on the Rainbow Falls Trail up Mt. http://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/tennessee/2016/12/13/timeline-gatlinburg-wildfires/95138656/. The identities of the three killed have not been released . It was probably 4:45 by this time. I believe someone else may have mentioned this in other Wildfire Today article/comments? In addition, officials confirmed that a firefighter was transported to the hospital with minor injuries from the fire but has since been released. Thank you for this excellent synopsis. Not action to punish or lay blame, but to facilitate learning that changes actions. No warnings of spreading fire, just radar and high wind warnings. The fire could have been accidental, or it may have been intentional. According to Ms.Schroer, firefighters walked up the Chimney Tops Trail to the top of the hill to size it up. 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 dont have the statistics to prove what you wrote is incorrect, but I am convinced that it is not a fact to say most of the fires that are monitored (as opposed to fully suppressed) escape outside the agencys borders. Other than the way the police were able to evacuate 4,000 people from Gatlinburg with little notice on Monday evening, everyone else involved did a very poor job. When two juveniles were arrested on December 7 and charged with aggravated arson, many people assumed they had the answer. As we drove in the smoke was no better than it had been when we left cabin, it was worse. Will some folks be held accountable for actions or non-actions related to this wildfire incident? When we got to end of Beech Branch Rd., and turned onto Spur, there was no traffic but the winds were getting worse. And I dont write about that many of them. 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. What caused the Gatlinburg wildfire? - al.com At 10AM we drove to Sevierville to buy more materials (to eventually add to the bonfire). There are other variables that are of concern here too, such as area resources that are already low and being taxed by the sheer number of fires occurring in the region, the growth of urban interface among the eastern forests, rugged mountainous terrain and economic restraints. I have a lot of pictures to share via my blog. Undoubtedly, the current management of our natural resources will come before the Judgments of the Almighty; for human lives were lost in this fire. .. bless you all! I told him I would call fire department in Gatlinburg across from Food City. Very well put Mari. Prayers for Gatlinburg - Fairborn Daily Herald The successes, and the losses, the poor decisions, the mistakes, the error and the failures. Shortly after he left, he called my husband to tell him that the road between our house and downtown Gatlinburg was blocked by a crew from Sevier County Electric. But, that team is there to give future corrective actions, not to formulate lawsuits. 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. 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. Crews working a Gatlinburg structure fire that began early Sunday morning discovered a body. A true lackadaisical response. 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. His parents died in the fire in Gatlinburg . from Gburg. The fire gutted the entire city block and closed a dozen businesses. 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. 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. Mike I appreciate what you said about a time and season for prescribed/monitored fire, and we need prescribed fire in the toolbox. But it is very important to point out that the fire that burned into Gatlinburg was never a prescribed fire. We drove west down the parkway. Who can or will hold them accountable for their part in this tragedy? The businesses include Cafe 420 . This isnt finger pointing its the simple facts of the entire situation like it or not! Lets see, that would probably consist of a GS-5 or 6 and two or three seasonal GS-4s. I responded that the climate is changing, and so are other related situations, and there will be. Not clouding the issues with the intent to take down a person. Granted these fires werent inside Gatlinburg, but the fire chief knew full well the potential for catastrophic wildfires in these mountains.
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