Will some folks be held accountable for actions or non-actions related to this wildfire incident? I think the point is that IMT managed wildfires in the southeast had residents in pre-evac mode when high winds were forecast before each cold front passed. 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. NO managing wildfire is much more complex, especially in a multiple fire drought driven incident like managers were dealing with on this incident. Triage of resource needs versus values at risk, firefighter safety, resource values and political realities all come into play. If the new location isnt in Gatlinburg, it will definitely be in Sevier County. We are emotional beings, we feel and we have the capability to think. ATF, other agencies search for cause of blaze that claimed life of Buffalo firefighter. The fire continued to spread throughout the entire structure. Breathing between car and house was hard. 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. Waited a month to report this event and turn over the pictures they took to forestry officials! Above: The Drought Monitor issued November 29 showed Exceptional Drought, the highest category, for the Gatlinburg area and large sections of Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, and South Carolina. He promised a committee to study what happened and there has been no word since. The coolness and the moisture were gone. Experience in itself is never enough. 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. Sunset that day was at 5:21 p.m. which would have allowed them to drop on the fire until 5:51 p.m., 30 minutes after sunset. Hemlocks standout on aerial photos because the limbs grow in a spiral pattern around the tree. 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. The Bob Stanton that has been commenting on this thread is NOT the former director of the NPS. It is very hard and slow to navigate through laurel stands and the thick Tennesee Barbed Wire Briar patches. Yes, good points Jody. The blame is as simple as the nose on your face we have family that is firemen and friends that are and they too are trained in fighting fires and if they had contained it all of this wouldnt have happened. The radio conversation was fairly early in the day as I recall, maybe 7:30-8:00 am. Resident of Western Maryland. The two juveniles who set a fire are not alone in this. Yet no one will be severely punished i.e. and last updated 4:48 AM, Apr 05, 2022. if/when evacuation notice was given. Wildfire experts have been warning local government officials about the potential for a fire of this magnitude for years. I could not figure how to put pictures on Wildfire Today, so here are links to let you see whats happened in the Park. One or two of those employees fall to their death because they shouldnt have been there in the first place. 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. Narrowing it down to human-causes is easy for an investigator. If this is the same Bob Stanton commenting here, then the bias is way too obvious. In turn, the IMT teams greatly appreciated the community support given by the effected areas, such as throwing a free Thanksgiving dinner for the thousands of fire fighters far away from their families. People responsible during the initial stages of the Chimney Top 2 wildfire need to be held accountable for violating these basic rules of fire physicsperiod. But when it's close to home, the sadness and concern of those affected is ten-fold in the worry department. The Seiver County Medical Examiner's office identified the man as 54-year-old Joe Martin Bates, according to the City of Gatlinburg. 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. I told him there wasnt when I got there at 5 oclock but I could not even see driveways on the way up. 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 could be traffic jams. There will be legal repercussions because of incompetence. I think that since its been brought to attention that nepotism shouldnt be involved in these positions because when it is you have people covering up, like a cat trying to cover up poop! Even though they are showing people receiving checks the day they apply, this was not the case for him. If their destination is not lit, they have to land there no later than 30 minutes after sunset. After action reports with ample opportunity for community input led to better pre-fire management and intra-agency coordination of resources. I said at the time thatvwas crazy, evac. They lost phone coverage but didnt activate the Motorola wide area radio system. On Monday November 28 it recorded wind gusts in that part of the state at46 to 60 mph, and a 76 mph gust on Wednesday. GFD officials examined the scene and found a body, later identified as Joe Martin Bates, in Suite 4. Also, lots of hills in the area washed to bedrock by cloud burst and slides. On-the-ground fire suppression activity took place Monday when firefighters took defensive action to protect structures at a nearby GRSM picnic area. The mayor and many fireman lost their homes and businesses, not to mention the deaths. They had the same weather forecast information. So we can learn by others successes and failures but we must also not hang our hats on them either, because the story is as individual and unique as there are an infinite number of variables. I doubt that anyone other than the arsonists intended to cause harm in any way here, and knowing the ages of those who lit the fire, I doubt that they themselves had any idea of the potential outcome. A temporary evacuation refuge with limited services is located at Max Hasse Community Park . He actually wrote me back on Christmas Eve, of all things, to tell me that they will keep after it. Try to stay neutral I understand; but the NPS has a track record of avoiding accountability. Susan, I wish the Feds had kept the case instead of handing it off to the local DA. From what I understand, the adelgid spreads from tree to tree via the ground, which is why young hemlocks with smooth bark are rarely infested with adelgid. We may never really know the truth about this situation just as with so many other current and prominent situations. It had burned into a picnic area and crossed the main roadinto the park, US Highway 441. It is written by Stephanie Sweeney, whose house was off the Spur between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. As a mountain boy who loves the harshest terrain even I couldnt imagine trying to run a fire line in this area. I saw Wyoming and Colorado engines being demobalized after containment. The Tip Line is 888-653-0009. Circular holes in the ground spread around the forest floor for no apparent reason, no evidence in sight, no history of mining activity, most of the oldest living trees around the same height/age. Thanks for the legwork. An ongoing lawsuit against the National Park Service over its handling of the 2016 Gatlinburg Wildfire is on hold as a federal judge considers a motion to dismiss the suit. They decided instead to monitor and to identifyon a map areas for indirect containment lines which encompassed 410 acres. Talk about finger pointing! Join our group. The further fire growth part was more accurate than they realized at the time. And the list goes on. Hemlocks were mentioned in a number of daily updates on Inciweb because they are basically standing roman candles thanks to the spiral of limbs. My nightmare depicted more what happened in Gatlinburg than so far in Branson. Money and CNN. Civilians are dead, millions of dollars of personal property destroyed, millions of dollars were spent on containing the wildfirethe rains/snow finally suppressed it. That didnt work out. from Gburg. I have seen local hiking pictures that appear to show two separate smoke columns on Saturday 11/26. The action taken by firefighters on Monday was defensive, to protect threatened structures at a nearby National Park Service picnic ground. Late Monday afternoon the Gatlinburg Fire Department began informing some residents of a voluntary evacuation. Parkway in downtown Gatlinburg from the intersection at Traffic Light No. Nothing happens in a vacuum. 119K views 4 months ago GATLINBURG Many people get worried when they hear the words Gatlinburg and Fire in the same sentence. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the GFD, Gatlinburg Police Department, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. I was in the area hiking November 21 and there was no smoke coming from the Chimneys area. It was so blatant and irresponsible of the media station to broadcast in this manner especially under the current circumstances. I got out of the car and walked up to the side of the pickup truck. Not action to punish or lay blame, but to facilitate learning that changes actions. Crews working a Gatlinburg structure fire that began early Sunday morning discovered a body. There is much opportunity in the Eastern Appalachians to better prepare citizens, towns , leaders and firefighters; To create more fire aware and safe communities. Those probably did not finish burning for several days. That afternoon a Chinook Type 1 helicopter (Type 1s are the largest helicopters used on wildfires) began dropping water on the fire, refilling at Fontana Lake 13 miles to the southwest, according to a source we talked to who didnt want their name disclosed because they were not authorized to speak on the subject. I dont think so they were the people in charge not any of us and they didnt do their job. There are many many folks who even if cell service were functional could not afford it. Intention is important, even in a court of law, intention ways heavily on the sentencing. Who can or will hold them accountable for their part in this tragedy? GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) Firefighters have found a body in the remains of a building that burned in . A spokesperson for the city said the Gatlinburg Fire Department was dispatched to the 700 block of Parkway in downtown Gatlinburg at 6:39 a.m. on October 9. With the wildfires scattered across western N.C., we are lucky that, given parallel conditions of the wildfires that swept down the Chimney Tops into Gatlinburg ..i.e. Ever since Hurricane Katrina, I have doubted the ability of our emergency managers to plan for any aspect of, or kind of disaster, and the fire in Gatlinburg only supports my concerns. Branches were hitting the house with a great deal of force. 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. However, firebe it a wildfire, structure fire, flammable liquid fire or a a bi-nine campfire does not care or worry about budget cuts, staffing issues, political agendas, experienced or inexperienced decision making or other human factors.