who caused the gatlinburg fires?

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. Lets see what reviews done by people with expertise in wildland fire management come up with. That didnt work out. 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. On-the-ground fire suppression activity took place Monday when firefighters took defensive action to protect structures at a nearby GRSM picnic area. Not sure why it matters, but you offered such a specific time, thought I would offer info to possibly make it more accurate. I was in the area hiking November 21 and there was no smoke coming from the Chimneys area. Nonetheless, your observations on the 21st indicate that no signs of the 14th fire were present; and if the NPS did fully suppress the first fire, their timeline was undoubtedly non-aggressive to do so. One good place, James, to view an area after a devastating wildfire is adjacent to the Blue Ridge Parkway in and around the 418 milepost-the Graveyard Fields/ Shining Rock Wilderness areas. Honor. Down hemlocks are mostly just gone. Especially our local emergency workers and the Park Service. (Bloomberg) -- Zoom Video Communications Inc. slumped in early trading Friday after abruptly terminating the employment of . It was so blatant and irresponsible of the media station to broadcast in this manner especially under the current circumstances. Finding out about the fire has hurt me almost as much as it did the locals. But from what I have read the failure in this situation was in following procedure, so what can be added to have averted this fire and its terrible deadly consequences? Prescribed burning is a critical ecosystem management tool across the nation, especially in the Southeast (https://goodfires.org/how) and when the term is used interchangeably with monitored wildfires it can lead to confusion. 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. 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. Yet no one will be severely punished i.e. This should be placed firmly on the shoulders of the Park Service, Cassius Cash, Superintendent and the City and County. I left the professional fire service with 3o plus years of experience, yet with a still learning and observant mind. At any rate, I have not heard any knowledgeable person say acquiring resources during those first five days was a major difficulty. I stopped him and said, Stanton, weve got to calm down and go slowly getting out of here so that we dont scare Abram and so that we can drive safely. Also, for the last several decades, NPS policies have allowed these excessive fuels to build. She has given me permission to share it on this site. 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. Conspiracy, no. I have memories of the endless mountainous terrain, but the vast development that came into being, came well after my trip there. Many fire managers in that situation would immediately attack emerging fires very aggressively with overwhelming force, that is, many firefighters on the ground assisted by numerous aircraft dropping water or fire retardant. Perhaps a simple thing like calling for a Voluntary Evacuation from Noon on that day could have made the danger more obvious in light of the forecast for storm warnings with high winds for the afternoon and overnight. I am hopeful that there are enough folks taking note of and keeping a watchful eye out for this situation, so that lies and cover-up will be vetted. I felt it urgent to get out of the woods. 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. One option could be helicopter fire repellers to repel into the fire and make an assessment of risk. Civilians are dead, millions of dollars of personal property destroyed, millions of dollars were spent on containing the wildfirethe rains/snow finally suppressed it. 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. But the pickup trucks I encountered were full of wildfire firefighters, inside the City of Gatlinburg. 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. There is simply too much BS. I am sure the Alum Cave trail up Mt. Given enough time the clock will run out and the weather will either be in the fire mangers favor or WATCH OUT! Bill thank you the excellent i sight and info that is hard to find publicly. OnMonday, December 5, the Incident Management Team (IMT) on the Chimney Tops 2 Fire that burned from Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM) into the Gatlinburg area reported that it has caused the deaths of 14people. 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. 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. It also led officials to. But the condition of the fuel was also important since it happenedduring what the National Weather Service (NWS) calls exceptional drought conditions. But the last one, issued at 7 a.m. EST on Sunday by Eric Holweg, did predict strong winds. We saw some trucks when we drove out late morning. What the fire victims need is non-biased experts to analyze the BACKFIRES that the NPS claims they ignited to protect NPS structures. A complex set of contributing factors no doubt, many that fell on deaf ears until they had to open eyes! The fire did not get up the valley to the Alum Cave Parking Lot, and LeConte Lodge is fine. They just hurl mean criticisms and put downs from a safe distance Brene Brown. But until the review of the fire is complete and the report is published, I would be careful with a statement like this: 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. This eventually will affect us all at some point in time, as we too may one day find ourselves faced with similar circumstance. We need to question everything and everyone with the same tenacious veracity as the other, but we also need to allow for humans to be human, and engage in the process of learning. The public cannot sit on their hands and expect anything to change. I certainly agree there are definitely consequences for our actions, for some more than others. It seems to me that the extreme wind was as unprecedented as the drought and the low stream levels. 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 . At the official Gatlinburg weather station recognized by the NWS 0.73 inch was recorded on Tuesday. Wildfire experts have been warning local government officials about the potential for a fire of this magnitude for years. 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. 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. 1 dead in Anchorage home fire that officials say was likely caused by Thanks for the legwork. We all contribute to this phenomenon if not intentionally but unintentionally, simply by the design of our brains! Some of the drainages where the managers hoped to stop the fire were a half mile away. He asked them how or who we could contact to get emergency information. 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. Contingency plans for how to evacuate the entire town, regardless of the specific hazard, were not well thought out. It is important to look at many facets, evidence and root cause studies so that the issues can be resolved. So my husband called the Gatlinburg policy department with the same questions and got the same answers. Thanks for your rundown on the fire Bill. Intense, deep burning fires with significant downwind spotting should be expected. There are other potential hazards that make unplanned evacuations a danger in that area. Where is his accountability? There is room for all to be as important as the other, and hold all of these ideals up at the same time, to honor and to debate. notice should have been at 5-6 given the wind. Even life-long locals said they had never seen rhododendren wither up before. Classic Swiss Cheese risk management fire management failurehave we as a profession learned anything since South Canyon, Yarnell and now Chimney Top 2? 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. Thanks for adding more good insight. Asked if I knew if there were any other people down in that area. On Oct. 9, a woman who was working at the Ripleys Aquarium smelled smoke and walked up to 745 Parkway Suite 4 to investigate. 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. God doesnt cut financial budgets. How did all the downtown businesses know to close and send their employees home, but not one word of warning was given to homeowners/residents? Are they learning how to use it? Whomever is in charge locally for the NPS should also be summarily fired. Those strong southerly winds had been forecast a good two days before the fire broke through into the developed areas. I hope to remedy that starting now! 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. We couldnt go up Motor Nature Trail so we went back to Cherokee Orchard Road. Fire managers brought in resources from all over the country. 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. On Friday, Gatlinburg city officials released a report detailing the downtown fire on Oct. 9. Only we, the people, the voters, can force change by raising our collective voices by repeatedly demanding the governor and Congress take action now! 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. Compare the events to their fire management manual and contradictions are present. And . Many citizens whom I spoke with had never heard the terms red flag alert and in absence of the term, were not aware of the situations that would lead to such a designation or where to turn to find information on wildfires. Case in point, the wildfires in Florida 1998, in which those experts were unaware of or underestimated the burning intensity of the Palm Oils from the Florida flora, which were as flammable liquid fires during those wildfires. strong south, southwest winds, extreme drought, low humidity..ect.., that something similar didnt happen here. Intention is important, even in a court of law, intention ways heavily on the sentencing. I was in my cabin on 28 November and barely made it out alive. Humans lostfire won. Jody, you have said well what Ive wanted to say from my impressions made after the fire about this tragic situation. He told me he was scared to drive the truck-its a lot more cumbersome in the local terrain than his little Outback. 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. We looked at each other and I asked if we should leave or go back and try to use the water hose to protect the house. That factor is the density of residential development, layout of roads, and approved building materials present in that area. He actually wrote me back on Christmas Eve, of all things, to tell me that they will keep after it. The notice went out to people within 10 miles of the fireline. The whole thing is unconscionable to me. Authorities have not identified the victim or . Years ago, the NPS wasnt maintaining the churches in Cades Cove of the Smokies. The Incident Management Teams at Tellico, Rock Mountain and Joyce Kilmer/Slickrock fires had dead hemlocks near the trials knocked down (dynamite, cutting, other means theyre still working on it along the AT). Did the fire have to be so devastating? Remember GSMNP is not Yosemite or Yellowstone with extreme fire behavior and a history of problems. But I believe there is a fourth element of fire behavior prediction and that is the element of situational awareness. A couple of weeks after hearing no hardcore news from Knox News, I wrote the editor asking if the News was still doing hardcore investigation of the fire. I can name 14 people who deserved much better! When I came out of dr. office, which is located on Middle Creek close to hospital, the atmosphere was eerie. Multiple businesses were destroyed in the flames, totaling an estimated $7 million in damage. People were ready to leave their home in 15 min. The Knox News timeline alone has enough info for several indictments. 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. IMT issued pre-evacuation notices in GA and NC each time they saw cold-front winds approaching that could would threaten communities. As they are minors, nothing else is known other than the Feds said the State could prosecute. Or in steep cliff terrain it just isnt going to happen, no one on the fire. We were wearing bandanas wrapped around our faces at this point. It was about this time that we noticed the wind beginning to get stronger. What about firefighter safety? As citizens we should be aware of all threats we face and expect our leadership to plan ahead as best they can. Difficult access to safely fight fire, lack of pre-blow up fire management, and extreme drought capped off by an exceptional weather event led to the July 1st, 1998 Farmton firestorm that burned through the rural community where I lived in east central Florida. Perhaps he needs a bit of prompting to remind him that the public will not forget what happened. GRSM posted Fire Information signs in the area explaining their monitoring strategy due to vertical cliffs, narrow rock ridges and steep drainages. ), lack of knowledge of alternative communication systems (the Motorola area wide emergency radio system installed last year). 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. Lose their jobs over this? Many structures were lost- thankfully no lives. They had identifiedon a map a 410-acre fire management area which, depending on weather conditions, may allow for further fire growth. I have a photo I took from the Walmart parking lot looking south that shows how smoky it was in Pigeon Forge. There are a lot of excellent experienced fire management staff working for the Park Service. Well said, the terrain here is different than a lot of places, even out west. The wind remained at moderate strength on Wednesday with gusts decreasing from 37 at 3 a.m. to the lower teens by the end of the day. wasnt blocked off since Mynatt Park was told to evacuate at 5:17. 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. We stopped beside the truck and rolled down our window. Stumps burned into the ground and look like volcano caldera. A few scattered, mostly Red Spruce, conifers are all that is left. Bob called. 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. This come from long time residents, The prices we have been getting should be considered price gouging because that is exactly what it is. 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. The immediate flash of ground clutter was followed by the much slower burning of the dead and down trees and stumps. Instead simply took pictures on their phone, 3. 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. Most of us feel there was negligence but sorting it all out is not something I know how to do. All rights reserved. It appears that the Deputy has contradicted himself here. So they were more concerned about NPS structures than our homes and lives? I knew him when he was at Indiana Dunes National Lake Shore. Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. As we reached the Parkway, everything was deserted. The body of a person has been found in the rubble of a fire in downtown Gatlinburg, our ABC affiliate WATE reported Monday. I asked my husband to go outside and hook up the water hose we had disconnected for winter. I hope that EM officials and local planning officials reconsider what and how structures are rebuilt in that area. A fire burns at a high-rise building under construction in the Tsim Sha Tsui district in Hong Kong on March 3, 2023. I have an Gatlinburg address but the county services my street. The coordination and communication of the Incident Management teams is impressive. According to Public Information Officer Seth Butler, the Gatlinburg Fire Department and the Pigeon Forge Fire Department were dispatched to downtown Gatlinburg at 6:39 a.m. on Sunday, Oct.. It is my understanding this first fire was at or near the summit in the immediate vicinity of the 2nd fire which unfortunately devastated Gatlinburg. Most events have a series of issues that contribute to the outcome, the more catastrophic the event the greater the number of contributing factors. I told him my home was on fire and he said they were evacuating everyone,then. No evacuation orders issued- If I had gone to work that day my two sons would be dead. 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. I fully understand the financial difficulties of the NPS and with firefighters abroad. 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. Jeanne: I do not disagree with your thought process regarding some of the broad challenges wildland fire mangers have faced in the past thirty some years. it would not be the first time that political or other motivation caused biased reporting. 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. 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. Thanks Henry. Needless to say one tanker run can drop more water than two helicopters can do in a full day. Anticipating the fire season, firefighting resources (people and equipment) were brought in from around the Southeast and other parts of the country. from Gburg. The Chimney Tops 2 could be a good case in point. Given the wind forecast, pre-evac notice should have gone out on Sunday, Monday morning at latest. 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). I think this is more often than not the case. I wish this would turn into the biggest Court case in history. (Originally published at 11:04 a.m. MST November 23 . The electricity goes out almost everytime there is a high wind. Finally a local coalition was formed to put pressure on NPS officials to uphold their mandate on historic structures. I viewed aerial photos of that area over the past 10 years (on USGS website). The main road out of Gatlinburg is the Spur, which is the 5 mile stretch of Park Service Road that lies between Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. WBIR is going to interview me as soon as two weeks from now regarding how I was taken for $120,000 by a crooked contractor that I was hooked up with by a log home firm. We had hiked to the Chimneys for the view many times it was easy to see the wind being funneled down from there to Gatlinburg just like an invisible whitewater river. 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).

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