Typos, let us know HERE, and specify which article. One of the owners of the impacted businesses called a contractor to demolish a damaged portion of the building. LeConte. Conspiracy, no. Sunday, four days after the fire started, was the first time that any firefighting aircraft were used on the fire, Ms. Schroer said. One thing Id add: the county is allowing residents that lost their home to use their existing block or poured foundation as long as they have one of their local cemetacious experts test it and approve it. The use of smokejumpers could be part of the plan. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the GFD, Gatlinburg Police Department, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Intention is important, even in a court of law, intention ways heavily on the sentencing. 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. In total GFD crews, in addition to, Pigeon Forge Fire Department, Sevierville Fire Department, Sevier County Ambulance Service and Pittman Center Fire Department assisted in extinguishing the blaze. Its all in moderately dense forest that overhangs above the road. When the fire started on Chimney Tops I thought surely the National Park Service would take necessary steps to put it out quickly because of the sure danger of it spreading. 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. 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. The fire was reported to be near the Twin Creeks Picnic Center at 1130. It is very hard and slow to navigate through laurel stands and the thick Tennesee Barbed Wire Briar patches. But until the awareness of possibility and the letting go of holding onto what we think we know to be the truth much will remain unchanged. Gatlinburg businesses look to rebuild after massive fire. Property owners still have the rights to protect their property. When peoples towns and lives are at stake, letting a fire burn or hoping to get lucky is a tough sell. You cannot sit and watch a fire in the mountains this close to a town and not call in lots of HELP!!! Early in the afternoon we began to see large crewcab pickup trucks driving past our home. These are the facts and simple truths that should not be ignored. He had been experiencing the high winds back West all day and was alarmed at possibilities as well. Multiple businesses were destroyed in the flames, totaling an estimated $7 million in damage. The fire had spread to Mynatt Park in Gatlinburg, and people were being evacuated from neighborhood there. Stupidity is as stupidity does. 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. Tommy Kirkland says: It was considered a total loss after yesterdays fire. 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. All rights reserved. I think wildland fire managers should be commended that this fire did not result in a tragic firefighter incident like Yarnell Hills. Learning for the future is important if it includes changes in policy and procedure. 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. 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). This is what happened with a handful of officials/personnel regarding the fatal 2000 black bear mauling of a woman hiker in Elkmont. Lastly, I would after this last election year never ever put stake into social media as any sort of official news, witness accounts or other fact finding mission. 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. There were cliffs in the area but firefighting Hotshot Crews can figure out how to work on steep slopes, sometimes backing off a bit, constructing a fire line and intentionally burning the fuel in between, preventing further expansion of the fire. But outright blame? In addition, officials confirmed that a firefighter was transported to the hospital with minor injuries from the fire but has since been released. Anyone can arm chair quarterback incident manager decisions after the smoke clears. We both were winded, nervous, and running to grab one change of clothes, night clothes, and tooth brushes. I have to assume that the city of Gatlinburg felt that since my road was county property that I was on my own. Regardless, the appropriate aerial assault should continue. I learned that it is extremely difficult to manage, rather than suppress, a wildland fire for an extended period of time. The electricity goes out almost everytime there is a high wind. What the kids did was extremely wrong and they should and will be punished for it but any Philadelphia lawyer work his retainer fee well get these kids off with no more than arson and reckless endangerment. On November 11 some hikers found a fire built in the middle of the trail on brushy mountain trail. Not to mention all the fallen limbs on the ground beneath them. GFD officials examined the scene and found a body, later identified as Joe Martin Bates, in Suite 4. The GSMNP PR person announced at 2:02 pm that fires were expected to grow over the next 8 hours with wind gust of 85 mph. Thank-you Bill for your through and in depth analysis of this wildfires chain-of events. Thanks for adding more good insight. We couldnt go up Motor Nature Trail so we went back to Cherokee Orchard Road. When you see more of them completely charred but living trees seemingly untouched that is a sign of both underground burning and how much water the living trees still possessed. The fire was approximately 8 acres in size, according to GRSM. > Jeannine In my 40 years in the fire service (Calif and Alaska), I have seen an unfortunate number of cases where agencies in generaland the NPS in particulardesignate fires as monitored event(s) (insert favorite agency terminology here) that hours, or days, later explode into huge incidents. Tennessee Wildfire Cause: Gatlinburg Fires May Have Been Man-Made 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. We had somewhat of a plan but both agreed that if we had a warning or concern we would leave because of our location and our neighborhood has no fire hydrants. 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. from Gburg. Please factor this in to your fire response in the future. Over 3000 wildfires received Initial Attack in November in the southern Appalachians, many of which were still very active when Chimney Tops 2 started. A few scattered, mostly Red Spruce, conifers are all that is left. I hear of those who didnt leave until 9:00 that night. it would not be the first time that political or other motivation caused biased reporting. I realize some of my questioning is speculative and yet legitimate. Our neighbors 3 doors down were outside near their car. It was gorgeous -huge, huge trees, open forest floor, very dark, very cool, very moist. My main purpose in commenting was to differentiate between a monitored wildfire and prescribed fire. Thats perfect Johnny. I did not rely on a fire weather service for my information even though I new where to look, I used much of the common everyday information available to the open community, the data I had learned from and observed during the short time of being in this area, and current observations. I told him there wasnt when I got there at 5 oclock but I could not even see driveways on the way up. Over 130 sustained injuries, and 1,684 structures have been damaged or destroyed. and last updated 4:48 AM, Apr 05, 2022. Perhaps he needs a bit of prompting to remind him that the public will not forget what happened. When did Gatlinburg burn . One option could be helicopter fire repellers to repel into the fire and make an assessment of risk. Excellent points, Jody. Do we need to learn from it. City prosecutors have charged a longtime Mililani High School leader with multiple counts of theft. 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. 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. A safefy plan for people in the event of the many natural threats, would have to be determined ahead of time though because that level of decision-making rarely occurs in the face of imminent danger. Whomever is in charge locally for the NPS should also be summarily fired. We had no significant rain in 2 months!!! Officials keep repeating that nothing like this has ever happened here before so they cant be responsible. There was two contributing factors to this disaster. 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. I dont know details as to the trail. (The fire was in eastern Tennessee near the North Carolina border.). 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. Sorry to hear that you lost your house, but you followed your wits which kept you from getting stuck there by downed trees over the road. 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.