I told him to go up and park in driveway close to where I wanted to leave the truck and that I would drive truck up. It certainly should be addressed, by We, the People. However, their findings could certainly implicate some of the decision makers concerning how things were handled and may lead to a few resignations. Published: Oct. 11, 2022 at 5:31 PM PDT GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WVLT) - Four downtown Gatlinburg businesses are picking up the pieces after a fire Sunday morning destroyed their building. Very well put Mari. When peoples towns and lives are at stake, letting a fire burn or hoping to get lucky is a tough sell. Thanks for the legwork. Suddenly a fire truck from Harriman came careening around the corner and headed up Turkey Nest Road. 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. Many times, as has been thoroughly vetted during the analysis the Chimney Top 2 wildfire the ONLY option is an all out aggressive, throw the world at it initial attack from air, ground and sea. We watched local news and weather forecasts. Me, like thousands of Buckeyes make the five-hour trek to Tennessee for family [] After action reports with ample opportunity for community input led to better pre-fire management and intra-agency coordination of resources. I have memories of the endless mountainous terrain, but the vast development that came into being, came well after my trip there. It upset a lot of locals, but many lauded it. According to a news release dated Nov. 25 from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Public Affairs Office, the fires started on Chimney Tops Trail a few miles south of Gatlinburg, off U.S. 441 . These words are so terribly inadequate but I feel even worse not saying anything at all. It would be interesting to understanding the impact of excessive fuel from dead hemlocks, killed by hemlock wooly adelgid (together with the lack of moisture typically found under a mature, live, shady hemlock canopy, even with the extreme drought conditions) had on this fire. Mitchell, Mt. Experience by itself often lends to complacency and been there done that thinking. His parents died in the fire in Gatlinburg . Of course Dollywood and Gatlinburg was virtually unscathed. That didnt work out. God doesnt cut financial budgets. This is just one more example of one more related issue that is seemingly un-connected until you delve into the issues deeply. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1477959465566642&id=100000578092120. Thats perfect Johnny. I viewed aerial photos of that area over the past 10 years (on USGS website). Emergency crews were on the scene for 31 hours extinguishing the fire before the emergency demolition was requested. GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WVLT) - Four downtown Gatlinburg businesses are picking up the pieces after a fire Sunday morning destroyed their building. The dead hemlock had to have been of huge impact to the fire. I would like to insert the word, accountability into this discussion. A complex set of contributing factors no doubt, many that fell on deaf ears until they had to open eyes! We told them the fire was coming. All of the big trees were gone (although younger trees had been treated and saved). Nothing happens in a vacuum. We are excited to start new memories and get back on the trails. 6 to the intersection at Reagen Drive reopened Monday afternoon after being closed Sunday morning, according to a release. Under ideal conditions they can temporarily slow the spread, which may be effective if firefighters on the ground can move in quickly totake advantage of the short termchange in fire behavior by constructing firelines, stopping the spread at that location. 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). A true lackadaisical response. I hounded the Knox News editor for a followup article around Dec. 19. Most of us are hopeful the two young man responsible for causing this fire will be severely punished however after all of the expert testimony to not only the Knoxville news Sentinel times what other periodicals claiming gross mishandling of the beginning of the Chimney Tops 2 fire by the forestry service as well as the Gatlinburg fire department I am certain that the Philadelphia lawyer that they have hired will use this in their defense and I would not bet that they will get a much lighter sentence as a result . Out east our experience is usually ground fire with relatively less risk of widespread destruction. This would help the owners defray some costs so they can rebuild. Im sorry but that initial fire management at the outset was atrocious. Shortly after that power was lost to the station and data stopped being recorded. 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. Unfortunately, Im not optimistic about the inter-agency review. It works like an Amber Alert to people who download the app and sign up. Thank all of you. People need their jobs, and we all act based on the limited information, training and experience that we have and hopefully rely on others who have diverse backgrounds to supplement where we may lack. 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. Then and only then will He let you effectively manage His creation that He has allowed you to be a part of for a short time. Much of the southeastern United States had been suffering extremely dry conditions for two to three months. 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. 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. Cafe 420 and Gifts of Gatlinburg were also destroyed. We saw some trucks when we drove out late morning. What really was going on here? From an all hazards POV large scale fire should have been recognized long before any drought conditions. The fire did not get up the valley to the Alum Cave Parking Lot, and LeConte Lodge is fine. Thanks Henry. 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. On the night before I left for Branson, I had terrible nightmares of being caught in a forest fire in Branson. (PETER PARKS/AFP via Getty Images) Chan estimated the insurance claim could . Hasnt anyone noticed that friends groups are paying for major park infrastructure and various other projects that our Congress has failed to provide for? Digression from Comment Thread It was about this time that we noticed the wind beginning to get stronger. CNN A wildfire burning near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Sevier County, Tennessee, has grown to more than 3,700 acres and impacted more than 100 structures, County Mayor Larry. Watch the pride and ego firefighters: youll never outmatch Gods elements. it would not be the first time that political or other motivation caused biased reporting. And the list goes on. I had heard that many of the stumps and rotted out trees had become abnormally dry because of the drought. 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 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. Also. He had been experiencing the high winds back West all day and was alarmed at possibilities as well. The action taken by firefighters on Monday was defensive, to protect threatened structures at a nearby National Park Service picnic ground. GALLATIN, Tenn. (WTVF) Wildfires have ravaged Sevier County six years after deadly fires destroyed parts of Gatlinburg. 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. Thats totally untrue. She said smoke had been super heavy. The Knox News timeline alone has enough info for several indictments. Until 1 p.m. sustained speeds were 4 to 6 mph with gusts at 12 to 19 mph. Anyone can arm chair quarterback incident manager decisions after the smoke clears. 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. And each structure became much more of a threat than the spreading ground fire ever was. Local officials dont seem to learn from past experiences, nor plan well for possible dangers. The city and the county has always been about one thing. High winds were to start soon and rain was 5 hours away as indicated by radar. Since we had been planning all day to go downtown to play trivia at Smoky Mountain Brewery, we left the house about 5:55PM. I found this blog and am so grateful to have an opportunity to reply and also to become informed from experienced, caring people of service in the firefighting effort. I told him there wasnt when I got there at 5 oclock but I could not even see driveways on the way up. Just like the mayor of Amity in Jaws, they were not about to evacuate the entire city on Thanksgiving weekend. Stumps burned into the ground and look like volcano caldera. Susan, I said Fed. We would best not be blind until that time is upon us, as then it will be too late. Youre right change is hard to come by. Rain began falling late Monday night and continued until 6 a.m. Tuesday, totaling 0.78 inch at Indian Grave. The terrain was steep, a vertical distance of 1,300 feet from the bottom of the drainages to the top of the hill. Despite that, officials now say that the Gatlinburg fire began in the park and was. 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. However, when adequate risk analysis, proactive contingency planning and decision making, real time fire behavior simulations predicting possible disastrous outcomes, humans may have a much better chance of containing, or controlling, or herding, or managing or all-out suppressing an unwanted or unplanned ignition. I am here at the opportunity on a couple of occasions to speak to the Fire Chief of Ontario Michigan. China Bazaar, Puckers Sports Bar, Cafe 420,. Will there be an independent, non-federal agency, through,unbiased, unedited final incident management and serious accident investigation? I have a lot of pictures to share via my blog. Tough questions like, Why did it take so long for community leaders to activate burn bans in spite of the extreme drought conditions, fuel loads, number of arson fires and the regional outbreak of fires, the social nature of this crime, and other related events. We could get blocked in by both. The fire was approximately 8 acres in size, according to GRSM. 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? Considering the record of wind gusts between 5-6pm and that the fire had jumped US 441, NPS calling Gburg Fire Dept. Five days is a generous amount of time to request and receive firefighters. (Bloomberg) -- Zoom Video Communications Inc. slumped in early trading Friday after abruptly terminating the employment of . We have had dry conditions in years past and there has probably been fires in the past and nothing like this ever happened. Thank you for your kind words and concern about our loss. I can picture all Firefighting resources assigned to the fire include 25 hand crews, 61 engines, 6 helicopters, and 2 dozers, for a total 780 personnel. 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. If the superintendent of the Park Service couldnt see what the consequence could be then he was not qualified for the job and after reading his BIO he was never qualified and this is what we get. People died and lost so much and that is absolutely tragic! There was a tree down on road out but we were able to drive around it. 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? There were and continue to be many deaths and fires that occurred in those western areas, and with those IMT expert Teams, that taught hard lessons, and enabled those people to gain experience and become the so called experts in the field. Were these simply copy cat arsonists, arsonists with the most ridiculous stories to offer for why they lit these fires, or were they just cover-ups for something more sinister? Obviously spent no time in the military so they didnt know how to field dress A cigarette and pack it out. My question to the Deputy Super: If the Chimney Tops Fire 2 of Nov 23rd to 28th, 2016 could not have been extinguished before the winds came; and there was plenty of time to act before the winds came; then how come GSMNP fire crews apparently extinguished the first Chimney Tops Fire of Nov 12/13th, 2016? I was in my cabin the night of the fire and if I had spotted it a minute or so after I did I would not be alive to type this right now. Thanks again for this forum. Yes my house burnt along with 520 others in North Chalet Village, village no longer but all foundations. China Bazaar, Pucker's Sports Grill, Gifts of Gatlinburg, and Caf 420 were all deemed a complete loss. I cannot count how many times my wife or I would find a fire smoldering typically from someone who flipped a lit cigarette and the brush when they were finished. To repeat what you have already said, people on the mountain especially Chalet Village north, no longer feel safe . All my constructive criticisms are not targeted to Park personnel in general. Were here to rally and support those people until they can get back up on their feet, said Laura Rippetoe of the Gatlinburg Inn. It was probably 4:45 by this time. I understand the excellent point made in the article that history in the Smokies area would expect less of a problem than out West.
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