It was shaking the car as we drove. Chimney 2 Fire Archives - Wildfire Today I hope to remedy that starting now! 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. The one thing I noticed over the fall was that the National Forest Service held themselves accountable, called in Incident Management Teams from all over the country with big wildfire experience and those teams got it done. Lots of fires getting controlled, crews pulling off and the new fuel falling and all back ablaze. The report said the fire was an . The only way they will learn from the fire is if they have to face a jury of their peers to account for their ineptness even know they were in charge of protecting us and our homes and they did neither. 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. Lets see what reviews done by people with expertise in wildland fire management come up with. Even though I am located adjacent to the National Forest lands on 3 sides, I cannot invite them onto my property to help me lessen the fuel load proximal to my home. Gatlinburg fire burns downtown China Bazaar, Puckers Sports Grill, Gifts of Gatlinburg, and Caf 420 were all deemed a complete loss. Cafe 420 and Gifts of Gatlinburg were also destroyed. Hello Jon, for what its worth, I did some hiking in the Greenbrier area of the GSMNP back in October and didnt notice many dead hemlocks, although The Chimneys area may be different, which I havent hiked in years. I think this is more often than not the case. My nightmare depicted more what happened in Gatlinburg than so far in Branson. 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. 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. Years ago, the NPS wasnt maintaining the churches in Cades Cove of the Smokies. The wildfires caused millions of dollars in damage. I viewed aerial photos of that area over the past 10 years (on USGS website). You may have a point regarding lawsuits, reported actions and actual actions. Branson is built into the mountainous forests of south-central Missouri, is a resort town, and a retirement community and entertainment venue. At least seven people have died and dozens have been hospitalized in wildfires in Tennessee that have ravaged a popular tourist town and forced thousands from their homes. And we were lucky. Its hard to see. I felt like people had been robbed of the vital information they needed to make the decisions they needed to be safe. 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. I can only say that I had no peace at all whatsoever after the first word I heard of the terrible fire there .. They did too little, too late. However, an event such as the Gatlinburg fires undoubtedly leads to a can of worms that some folks would rather just sweep under the rug. and see if he could get any information. Frederick County, MD tanker explosion leaves 1 dead; Shuts down part of Many, if not most, of these incidents leave the confines of the managing agency and sweep out onto lands owned or managed by others. The NPS, IMO, did not take an aggressive stance on this fire, and that is usually the case with them. At the big forest fires in NC and GA, where the federal incident management teams were located, the Incident teams ordered pre-evacuation prior to the arrival of a cold front when strong, gusty winds were forecast. 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. However, to expect her to honor the NPS is inappropriate considering reality and her circumstances. Im totally with you accountability. The fire burned 38,000 acres of state managed conservation areas and private timber lands. Though it will never be heard in our courts today, dont think the Almighty isnt going to bring it to Light; for human death was involved and the facts were dodged plan and simple. I told her my concerns of fire, traffic, and falling trees blocking flow of traffic were there an emergency. But very little if any fire suppression activity occurred until Monday, November 28. 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. Obviously spent no time in the military so they didnt know how to field dress A cigarette and pack it out. Well said, the terrain here is different than a lot of places, even out west. As a former FF, their claim that they could have never put it out if they tried from day one is BS. Even the Gatlinburg Fire Chief had been told on Sunday at 0900 that models had the fire hitting downtown Gatlinburg by Tuesday 1100. 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. If I had even been in the bathroom or downstairs I wouldve died . There are other variables that are of concern here too, such as area resources that are already low and being taxed by the sheer number of fires occurring in the region, the growth of urban interface among the eastern forests, rugged mountainous terrain and economic restraints. What is these adults had taken immediate action to correct and intervene in this unsafe behavior by children. This goes all the way to our Congress and irresponsible, blind, budget cutting exercises. How did I know that? However, they are using a Super Tanker to douse the flames going on down there. Yet no one made a move. There seems to be many people who just dont get that their are many areas in these mountains and in rural America that are no tech zones. So far, this week's tragic Tennessee wildfires have caused at least seven deaths, injured at least 50 more, and damaged or destroyed over 700 structures, a good portion of them in the city of Gatlinburg. Crews are currently taking down the China Bazaar and Puckers building. Here is a question & answer from Bill interviewing Tom Nichols on Wildfire Today: One of the more common errors in judgment you have seen on fires? Just a quick comment per above posts. The teens, 15 and 17, were charged with starting the Chimney Tops fire which eventually spread to the Smoky Mountains, into Sevier County and Gatlinburg, killing 14 people, injuring more than. There was lots of sunlight and lots of low-level vegetation so much that the trail was overgrown and we decided to turn around. This article shows NPS was concerned by and notified of impending high winds. The appearance of dead hemlock progression is astounding. Im thankful to be tuned in. A high-elevation area that possessed the largest unbroken Spruce-Fir forest in the S. Appalachians. The perfect firestorm. By 4:00PM the wind was getting stronger and we were not getting any updated information from local TV news. But instead great risks were taken through basic inaction and the consequences were disastrous. By the way, the drainage to the northwest, where NPS had placed their line, is .2 mile and ~1,000 feet vertical (77% grade) of mostly weathered rock. The fire was reported to be near the Twin Creeks Picnic Center at 1130. 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. One indicator of drought and its effect on how wildfires burn is the Keetch-Byram Drought Index(KBDI). 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. Why are there not more prescribed and controlled burns being conducted? We watched the news the rest of evening. The Bob Stanton that has been commenting on this thread is NOT the former director of the NPS. Local folks here who have been involved with Park issues have an old saying about the NPS and their mismanagement of historic structures. Hong Kong skyscraper fire could mean $64M payout, cause under investigation The winds that Monday afternoon had knocked power lines down and early reporting made mention of separate ignition points in the residential hillsides. Whose else is there? On November 23 when the fire was discovered the KBDI was 599, Molly Schroer, a spokesperson for the IMT told us. With that said: were NPS officials aggressive enough in seriously emphasizing to Gatlinburg officials to start preparing for mandatory evacuations? Fortunately, Wildfire Today and Knox News had both published detailed timelines about what happened and when, before the Sevier County DA cut off the info flow. May all the people find peace and forgiveness in the midst of this storm. 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. I hope that EM officials and local planning officials reconsider what and how structures are rebuilt in that area. The leafless trees allowed more sunlight to hit the fuel, drying it out even more. The fire did not get up the valley to the Alum Cave Parking Lot, and LeConte Lodge is fine. A year or two ago, there was a small fire on Rocky Spur on the Rainbow Falls Trail up Mt. As a contractor I worked with a Dunes engine in Michigan MI years ago. Anytime that one side seeks to destroy the other as opposed to actually raise the issues, I would raise a red flag and wonder what the distraction is really trying to hide! 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 hope the governors investigation team finds all of the miscues AND gets proper training for all the different agencies involved. Fire kills 1, destroys businesses in downtown Gatlinburg, Tenn This eventually will affect us all at some point in time, as we too may one day find ourselves faced with similar circumstance. So property owners are left to deal with everything and if we had the power we would have done something like worrying the crap out of all of them until action was taken. People died and lost so much and that is absolutely tragic! Common since would tell you a mountain fire in wind and drought would move very fast!!! Period. 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. They will be touched in their heart as deeply as anyone who has lost in the tragedy itself. From 7 p.m. until midnight sustained winds were at 13 to 17 mph with gusts from 34 to 49. I appreciate that fine quality of writing that expresses your thoughts in an easy to read yet structured style that makes sense. Our house was in a direct N/S line from the Chimneys. Alice Hagler was reported missing by her family and later confirmed dead. I saw Wyoming and Colorado engines being demobalized after containment. But the pickup trucks I encountered were full of wildfire firefighters, inside the City of Gatlinburg. I particularly liked Sharon Jensens after action summary. I spent two weeks in the area after the fire to inspect my property and ascertain where my wife and I would go from there. Bob had stayed in West TN after Thanksgiving, to work there for a few days before returning home so he wasnt with us. We may never really know the truth about this situation just as with so many other current and prominent situations. The governors promised investigation has yet to appear (if it ever will), but the National Parks investigation is proceeding and no locals are on that team. I felt it urgent to get out of the woods. A true lackadaisical response. Wednesday, November 23, the day the fire started. 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. He asked them if they could give us an update on the fire and they said no. The Gatlinburg fire chief should be FIRED. They were asleep at the wheel. They had the same weather forecast information. 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. Not clouding the issues with the intent to take down a person. Personally, I have already started reconstruction on my cabin but the consensus on Chalet Village north which was 540 cabins and now stands only at 20 remaining Is that about 70% are not rebuilding for a variety of reasons . Was it ever fully suppressed? Money and CNN. 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. Fire crews were dispatched to a structure fire around 6:30. Managers may need to keep resources in reserve for initial attack on new fires rather than a Hit it with all you have the Moment it breaks out. strategy. It was a very horrible dream and I had qualms about my trip before I arrived in Branson. The fire was south of Gatlinburg. Holding the responsible people accountable is the only course of action that honors what was lost. I only lost my house, but someone has to speak the truth about what did/didnt happen that day/night. 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. Forecasts were issued each day from November 24 through 27; we could not find one for November 28 the day the fire burned into Gatlinburg. Not sure why it matters, but you offered such a specific time, thought I would offer info to possibly make it more accurate. I am not holding my breath. We waited as the days passed until we could go and see if ours had burned. Paddlers prepare to hit the water for the return of the Kualoa Hakipuu Canoe Festival, Former Mililani High athletic director indicted, Hawaii police departments offer big incentives as competition for new recruits heats up, Stroke survivor's specially-modified bike returned, Midday Newscast: City proposes $300 tax credit for those with homeowner's exemption, 'The Other Side of Paradise' with Lynn Kawano, [email protected] (808) 847-3246, [email protected] (808) 847-3246, [email protected] (808) 847-3246, [email protected] (808) 847-3246, [email protected] (808) 847-3246. There was much deadwood on the forest floor, including the Hemlocks and other species both down and standing dead. He told me he was scared to drive the truck-its a lot more cumbersome in the local terrain than his little Outback. Have a wildland fire news tip? 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? Chalet Village Gatlinburg, Tommy there is a class action lawsuit being formulated by a Knoxville attorney. Some may be pines, but the vast majority appear to be hemlocks. I hope that the firefighters, leaders, and authorities in this area make sure to perform in depth After Action Reviews and make changes to avoid these issues in the future. But the last one, issued at 7 a.m. EST on Sunday by Eric Holweg, did predict strong winds. However, by the time a federal judge dropped the charges six months later, some had lost focus on the fire. 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. Thank all of you. She has given me permission to share it on this site. Good incident managers welcome open discussion and critique to learn and improve for future incidents. Many, if not most, of these incidents leave the confines of the managing agency and sweep out onto lands owned or managed by others who had NO input into the original incident management strategy.
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