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. The radio conversation was fairly early in the day as I recall, maybe 7:30-8:00 am. Basically telling the press, the public and the injured families to go to hell. 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. It just so happens that at this time hundreds of fires were subsequently being started all around the south! If I had even been in the bathroom or downstairs I wouldve died . Any person involved in any sort of firefighting/fire ecology/fire control/fire management profession learns these basic fire physic scientific principals from day oneeither from formal training or through hands on fire behavior observations . I seriously question if bias will be discreetly worked into this agency and their review of the fire?? Asked if I knew if there were any other people down in that area. Take my word for it, Ive seen back scratching going on down there for over 40 years. . You can only manage one of those. 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. I have memories of the endless mountainous terrain, but the vast development that came into being, came well after my trip there. Where the fire burned the valley floor, the desiccated hemlock burned freely and fully. View all posts by Bill Gabbert. Now I am tasked with trying to motivate and coordinate the local fire departments much of who are volunteer, the state and national forest professionals to work with me and the community. Lets just be careful about who they are in our criticism. 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. Watch This is Now, live from the Hawaii News Now Digital Center, weekdays on KHNL at 12 p.m. and on all of our streaming platforms. Question, seek truth and evidence, get to the roots, with the intention to create and apply solutions, not simply hang someone; that is how we grow forward! November 27th, 35 acres. However, to expect her to honor the NPS is inappropriate considering reality and her circumstances. 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. Four downtown Gatlinburg businesses are picking up the pieces, after a fire Sunday morning destroyed their building. The DA in Sevier County has put a gag rule in effect since the get go to protect the teeneagers involved. We were wearing bandanas wrapped around our faces at this point. As my husband was carrying things to the car at 5:00PM, a white SUV came by. Intention is important, even in a court of law, intention ways heavily on the sentencing. Fire those managers! Officials identified Robert A. Hejny, 63, who was found at Traveler's Motel in Gatlinburg. Me, like thousands of Buckeyes make the five-hour trek to Tennessee for family []
Hong Kong skyscraper fire could mean $64M payout, cause under investigation Visited Gatlinburg for the first time in Oct 2016. On Sunday when GSMNP called in helicopter water drops, there were 3 fire tanker planes sitting on the runway 20 minutes away in Chattanooga (covered in Wildfire Today). NPS manager Cassius Cash said the NPS didnt have the authority to order an evacuation (how about recommending a pre-evacuation status so the public was ready to evacuate if needed?). I think anyone that is from this area could see this could be a very dangerous fire from the first day!! Things dont change unless people stand up and make them change. Hemlocks standout on aerial photos because the limbs grow in a spiral pattern around the tree. In addition thorough explanations could have been given for the reasons for calling for the Voluntary Evacuation and could have been published. 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. 2 min read. Thanks! 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. Love your neighbors, yes. By the time the troops were called in, it was too late. Will it change what has happened? Some of the drainages where the managers hoped to stop the fire were a half mile away. Shortly after that power was lost to the station and data stopped being recorded. Those with information are urged to contact the Tennessee Arson Hotline at 1-800-762-3017 or the GFD at 865-436-5112. What is unconstitutional here is that if this first fire of the 14th is under investigation, then certain parties have committed obstruction of justice. NPS can suppress the first fire; but not the second fire? This is how civilians, firefighters, personal property and extensive environmental damage results. 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 very little if any fire suppression activity occurred until Monday, November 28. Contingency plans for how to evacuate the entire town, regardless of the specific hazard, were not well thought out. At the official Gatlinburg weather station recognized by the NWS 0.73 inch was recorded on Tuesday. In late 2016, wildfires . 1,000 feet of rise / 0.2 mile (1,056 feet) is a slope of 94.7%, not 77%. Thanks again for your touching reply. Hit it with all you have the Moment it breaks out. Jim Renfro, the air quality specialist for GRSM, said the strongest wind gust recorded at Cove Mountain was 87 mph at 9 p.m. on Monday. If it was felt that people on this fire were at risk then dont staff the fire. Then, a few days later they had the full timeline article and info about the NPS not following its own protocols. Whose else is there? 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. U.S. Park Service (again) and Thanksgiving. We would best not be blind until that time is upon us, as then it will be too late. From 7 p.m. until midnight sustained winds were at 13 to 17 mph with gusts from 34 to 49. Very good pictures! We are facing some very large problems around our globe and in our own home communities, that will require some out of the box thinking and collaboration, some tough questions, and a lot of personal accountability review and growth. The next morning we werent allowed to go check on our house because of fires still burning and impassable roads. 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).
Frederick County, MD tanker explosion leaves 1 dead; Shuts down part of I can only hope that the actions are being undertaken somewhere and by the decision-makers and leaders to think and act differently. Experience by itself often lends to complacency and been there done that thinking. 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. I looked at the NWS Forecast Discussion and told my sister They should order pre-evacuation before the wind gets strong.. My nightmare depicted more what happened in Gatlinburg than so far in Branson. Thanks for adding more good insight. The report said the fire was an accident and caused around $7 million in damages. 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.
Remembering the Gatlinburg Wildfires five years later - WBRC No.
California couple whose gender-reveal party sparked a wildfire charged Stantons car was full of gas and only has liability insurance. Thanks for your rundown on the fire Bill. China Bazaar, Pucker's Sports Grill, Gifts of Gatlinburg, and Caf 420 were all deemed a complete loss. Tom. > 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. 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. GSMNP Facebook has pulled comments, photos, and replies as well in regard to the 14th fire. GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WVLT) - Four downtown Gatlinburg businesses are picking up the pieces after a fire Sunday morning destroyed their building. On the map below, the fire is the small dot in the center surrounded by the yellow line. Hasnt anyone noticed that friends groups are paying for major park infrastructure and various other projects that our Congress has failed to provide for? 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. We had no significant rain in 2 months!!! The massive Gatlinburg wildfires, which began in November, caused the deaths of 14 people, injured 175 others and destroyed homes and towns all around eastern Tennessee. 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. Citing the steep terrain and the safety of firefighters, fire managers at Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM) decided not to take direct action on the fire which would entail constructing fireline along the edge of the fire to remove the fuel that allows it to spread. Just a quick comment per above posts. You certainly got it right when you said that sometimes government does not listen and it takes a loud voice. Theres no guarantees that putting a couple hotshot crews with good air support on that fire earlier could have prevented this tragedy, but that would have been more defensible. Typos, let us know HERE, and specify which article. I would also hope that we would figure out that such major climate disruptions as the recent drought in the Southeast are getting more common and that human action has helped cause, and can help cure, such disruptions. Finally a local coalition was formed to put pressure on NPS officials to uphold their mandate on historic structures. For example politicians far away from the event make decisions regarding funding, resources and operations. She has given me permission to share it on this site. Great info/synopsis of the Gatlinburg/Sevier county wildfires. When I arrived in Branson at the hotel I was close to a fire exit, and frankly forgot about my nightmare. She said smoke had been super heavy. Since November 29 it has rained about every 2 to 3 daysin the Gatlinburg area. 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. Aircraft dropping water or fire retardant on a fire cannot put it out. Was the fire that inaccessible on foot? Back home in West TN, when tornado warnings were active in a particular area there were loud sirens that went off. It is this same type of think tank and diversity we need in reaching a host of solutions to our complexity of problems both in this situation and in all others. Report: Gatlinburg fire caused $7 million in damages. They couldnt get out a cell mssg. They are as Brene Brown puts it, In The Arena; not merely sitting in a seat watching it or viewing from a comfort zone at home on the big screen but in the Arena risking everything for others. They are just as clandestine of a secret society as the city officials of Gatlinburg and Sevier County. Why? because poor, inadequate human decision making allowing basic fire physics, fire chemistry and TIME to align resulting in avoidable death and destruction! I felt it urgent to get out of the woods. It would be interesting to dig a little further on this. During fire suppression efforts, crews found one person dead inside the structure. http://henryspoetry.blogspot.com/2016/12/cabin-on-creek-and-chimneys-top-2-fire.html, http://henryspoetry.blogspot.com/2016/12/great-chimney-tops-2-fire-science.html. Nicely put together article. So sometime during the night as we now know everything burned down. Travelers are urged to avoid the area at this time. I asked my husband to go outside and hook up the water hose we had disconnected for winter. In fact, Monday afternoon several rental agencies were telling reservation customers to come on to Gatlinburg (news documented). I am in my late 60s and have never seen such a drought, or such low stream levels. The coolness and the moisture were gone. Very well put Mari. Sweeney, to be honest weve never experienced circumstances quite like this. I thanked her, hung up and told Stanton to go load Ladys kennel. 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. This come from long time residents, The prices we have been getting should be considered price gouging because that is exactly what it is. Some may be pines, but the vast majority appear to be hemlocks. Not everything that happened with the fires had a dotted line to those two teens. Though the drought and winds were undoubtedly an act of God (Psalms 148:8; 1st Kings 17:1), NPS and other officials were not left ignorant. That mall is also rigidly enforced. My writing comes from the heart! It is likely that spotting did keep the ground fire spreading into the areas where the homes were, and certainly on the southern edge of town it was the primary ignition source, but I am still skeptical that the homes to the north of town were ignited that way. 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. I would recommend reviewing Wildfire Todays post titled: NPS releases information about the Chimneys Tops Fire 2 as well as the post Analysis of wind, vegetation, and air tankers before the fire burned into Gatlinburg. When enough folks dont take a vulnerable interest in situations and root out the evidence and real root causes to a situation, that is how cover-ups and lies live on, and the wrong people or wrong causes go unrooted. 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. You said in your post what I have been thinking. This fire season is a perfect example of why we do not need to lynch and discard those who have erred but gained highly valuable experience in the process. Being that were neighbors with these people, its people that we love. 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. 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. The official cause is down power lines due to high winds and fallen trees, according to a National Park Service news release. Out east our experience is usually ground fire with relatively less risk of widespread destruction. Situational awareness to current and predicted variables, as well as the potential of possibility is key. 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. Who allowed this to happen? Im sure there will be lots of finger pointing, name calling pushing for blame and then legal actions. they if you limit that to local staff might not have as much fire management experience as say Yosemite or Yellowstone. Not action to punish or lay blame, but to facilitate learning that changes actions. Which is why human history keeps repeating itself over and over. This should not be a time to blame and inflame, but to think and act wisely. I was surprised that we saw no one at the closed Chimneys parking area early morning when we drove by. The individual was identified as Joe Martin Bates, 54, according to the Sevier County Medical Examiners office. Obviously spent no time in the military so they didnt know how to field dress A cigarette and pack it out. If one is growing by experience you keep them moving forward as we all benefit from their learning and experience. GFD officials examined the scene and found a body, later identified as Joe Martin Bates, in Suite 4. Also important is accountability, so is teaching, learning and experience, so is action, so is on and on. On the evening of the fire, I was monitoring tornadic storms across northern Mississippi because my family were driving to GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) Firefighters have found a body in the remains of a building that burned in . Before we got in the car, we each took photos of the approaching fire with our cell phones. Especially our local emergency workers and the Park Service. And on top of all that, they have teams that stay and clean up after the fires, repairing dozer and fire lines to reflect natural terrain, knocking down trees that would be a hazard to hikers and hunters, repairing the roads that heavy equipment damaged. We were still asleep when it happened. I always come back to that groupthink mentality, the ladder of inference, the been there done that mode, the failure/fear to act, and thats how weve always done it thinking; all part of how our unconscious brain works without our conscious intervention and critical thinking skills.
Person killed in downtown Gatlinburg fire identified Something broke down here and at the risk of not being PC the important thing is that the issues are discovered and learning takes place followed by action. The man at the Forestry base told him the winds were predicted to keep getting stronger and to be careful of falling limbs. There are hundreds of hemlock skeletons heading north from Chimney Rock. Who ever was in charge should loose their job!!! GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) Firefighters have found a body in the remains of a building that burned in downtown Gatlinburg, officials said. It is so much easier to sit on the outside, pass judgement and sentencing in the name of accountability than it is to be involved in the event of vulnerability in action. 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. I hope that EM officials and local planning officials reconsider what and how structures are rebuilt in that area. wasnt blocked off since Mynatt Park was told to evacuate at 5:17.
1 dead in Anchorage home fire that officials say was likely caused by My boys and I do not have images of wildfires that we would have seen had we waited to leave home. If they had taken action the day it started instead of now using the excuse of the rough terrain, yeah it is but so is most mountain areas. Ms.Schroer said she was not aware of any actual on-the-ground fire suppression efforts, other than perhaps some work on a distant indirect fireline, until Monday November 28, after the fire had grown large and crossed US Highway 141, the main road into the park. Can we allow room for others to fail forward? We probably wont want to attribute 14 deaths to a non-native insect infestation, but in the end, can we say it exacerbated the situation? Kelly Morgans comments may have been harsh and offensive to some folks; but when government builds a wall; sometimes it takes a loud voice to get their attention. I knew him when he was at Indiana Dunes National Lake Shore. I went back a few years ago and it was completely different. 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. fire Sunday morning destroyed their building. 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. It is unfortunate that sometimes a few seek to blame someone so quickly that they miss the opportunity to really get to the root of the causes for those issues in the first place. Anticipating the fire season, firefighting resources (people and equipment) were brought in from around the Southeast and other parts of the country. But the condition of the fuel was also important since it happenedduring what the National Weather Service (NWS) calls exceptional drought conditions. Bob called. Holding the responsible people accountable is the only course of action that honors what was lost. I dont think so they were the people in charge not any of us and they didnt do their job. It appears that the Deputy has contradicted himself here. Not to mention all the fallen limbs on the ground beneath them. Im thankful to be tuned in. They found plenty of resources when they realize they were going to be burning all the money making business is down on Monday.
Gatlinburg Fire Cause: Who Started the Wildfire? | Heavy.com This article shows NPS was concerned by and notified of impending high winds. Humans lostfire won. She said I dont think its necessary for you to leave home with children and dog at this point. Well said, the terrain here is different than a lot of places, even out west.
This is how the devastating Gatlinburg wildfire erupted overnight That is when I said to myself Where the hell is TEMA?.
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