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! I hold you in my thoughts and prayers for healing and recovery there are others who have posted about their losses on this blog, Kelly for one, and I did not give myself peymidfipn to say these words to them at the time .. The big, dead hemlocks are light grey with a circular limb pattern as viewed from the air. Will it change what has happened? Early in the afternoon we began to see large crewcab pickup trucks driving past our home. They had the same weather forecast information. Yes. Intention is important, even in a court of law, intention ways heavily on the sentencing. GATLINBURG, Tenn. UPDATE (Monday): Firefighters discovered a body in the rubble of these fires, our ABC affiliate WATE reported Monday morning. It goes for miles, Ive pushed as hard as I could straight down and only managed 1/10th mile an hour on the gps in a few such places. What good does it do to lynch those who are learning and gaining the very experience we expect and seek? We have also come upon many campfires that tent campers and others thought or extinguished but were back to a full burn with not adequate fire breaking around it. We could see the smoke. Ive been told by others that they were waiting for the rain to move in based on the forecast and it didnt arrive when they expected so in the meantime they did nothing. Bob and Stanton snuck around back roads and made it in a few days earlier than most and found what we were fearing. Yes a lot is somewhat predictable, just as this fire, but not every aspect is, there are too many variables in the real world. Suggestion, contact Dolly Parton or representatives of her holdings and give her (them) the emergency phone line to Global Supertankers. I dont understand, but I dont judge. 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. Lets see, that would probably consist of a GS-5 or 6 and two or three seasonal GS-4s. Their chronological order of events doesnt match up with what some folks were observing posted on social media. Period. But until the awareness of possibility and the letting go of holding onto what we think we know to be the truth much will remain unchanged. 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. 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. Will some folks be held accountable for actions or non-actions related to this wildfire incident? They just hurl mean criticisms and put downs from a safe distance Brene Brown. Our world is complex and it is a system of interacting parts, we all need to start thinking more globally (meaning systemic and how each part interacts with the other) in our processes and understand how each choice, decision and action we take personally and as a group affect all the other parts. You certainly got it right when you said that sometimes government does not listen and it takes a loud voice. Im not saying GRSM made the right or wrong decision, there is just a lot more involved then saying they didnt suppress it promptly. Of course they wont. And each structure became much more of a threat than the spreading ground fire ever was. Take care and hang in there. The adelgid apparently needs the rougher bark of older trees to climb up the trunk to the greenery on which they feed. I looked at the NWS Forecast Discussion and told my sister They should order pre-evacuation before the wind gets strong.. The Knox News timeline alone has enough info for several indictments. No evacuation orders issued- If I had gone to work that day my two sons would be dead. Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Gatlinburg Fire Department and Gatlinburg Police Department officials are investigating. I hope the report gives the reason why the tanker planes were never called in since they are co-managed by the NFS and NPS. One other consideration relevant to some of the previous comments about the aggressiveness or lack thereof in dealing with the fire in the first few days is the context of other ongoing wildfires. You forgot lack of funding to adequately staff the park. Lastly, I would after this last election year never ever put stake into social media as any sort of official news, witness accounts or other fact finding mission. Oct. 11, 2022, at 10:27 a.m. 1 Dead in Gatlinburg Fire That Affected Travel to Smokies. 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. One indicator of drought and its effect on how wildfires burn is the Keetch-Byram Drought Index(KBDI). I left the professional fire service with 3o plus years of experience, yet with a still learning and observant mind. We really need to stop being so quick to cut of the heads of people doing their jobs and instead insist that they learn from and make changes for the better. I felt like people had been robbed of the vital information they needed to make the decisions they needed to be safe. The action taken by firefighters on Monday was defensive, to protect threatened structures at a nearby National Park Service picnic ground. In my opinion there is more blood on the hands of the NPS, Gatlinburg city and fire officials and Sevier County politicians than those kids. The lines between reality and virtual reality or fake reality are so blurred. We are excited to start new memories and get back on the trails. In all the Disasters I have worked in Texas, FEMA reimburse City or County for debris pickup. One person was found dead in the rubble of a fire that broke out in downtown Gatlinburg early Sunday morning. The man at the Forestry base told him the winds were predicted to keep getting stronger and to be careful of falling limbs. 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. (Originally published at 11:04 a.m. MST November 23 . Rain began falling late Monday night and continued until 6 a.m. Tuesday, totaling 0.78 inch at Indian Grave. By definition, prescribed burning is described as fire applied in a knowledgeable manner to forest and grassland fuels on a specific land area under selected weather conditions to accomplish predetermined, well-defined management objectives, pg 2, http://www.southernfireexchange.org/etc/ITPFISE.pdf. 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. 3:36 p.m. Gatlinburg Fire Department is going door-to-door asking residents to voluntarily evacuate to a Red Cross evacuation shelter set up at the Gatlinburg Community Center located at 156 . One option could be helicopter fire repellers to repel into the fire and make an assessment of risk. Then, a few days later they had the full timeline article and info about the NPS not following its own protocols. Undoubtedly, the current management of our natural resources will come before the Judgments of the Almighty; for human lives were lost in this fire. Those people have their head in a hole, a burned out tree stump hole the very definition of ignore-ance. Most of those people got out of the pre-evac zone just to be safe and watch the fire at a distance. 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. The Gatlinburg ByPass is also closed. Unfortunately, the good ole boy network, via the Sevier County DA, is trying to keep things in secret by cutting off all information after the the two teens were arrested, claiming such information could jeopordize the case against the teens. We stopped beside the truck and rolled down our window. People died and lost so much and that is absolutely tragic! I think anyone that is from this area could see this could be a very dangerous fire from the first day!! 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. Then the wind comes!!! I got out of the car and walked up to the side of the pickup truck. The report stated the demolition was requested due to the health and safety of the citizens and visitors in the event of a full structure collapse.. Are they learning how to use it? with a notice that evacuation is imminent would have been prudent. This is just one more example of one more related issue that is seemingly un-connected until you delve into the issues deeply. 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. I learned so much from the Incident Management Team websites for the various big fires in the mountains (Cohuttas, Joyce Kilmer, Standing Indian, Boteler, Tellico, Party Rock, Pinnacle Mountain). One only has to imagine a single downed power line starting a structure fire at the same time the wildfire was approaching to understand how the great loss of property and life actually happened. I hope that EM officials and local planning officials reconsider what and how structures are rebuilt in that area. Out east our experience is usually ground fire with relatively less risk of widespread destruction. These people both the successful along with the ones who erred and experienced failure, courageously risked being vulnerable in order to help others. There are zones that are simply are impenetrable by cellular rays and even satellite has issues. 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. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the GFD, Gatlinburg Police Department and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. The age of information is both eye opening and scary, the potential for manipulation is astounding! Yet, at that very time, citizens were asking city employees and fireman if they should evacuate (well documented in the local news). They will be touched in their heart as deeply as anyone who has lost in the tragedy itself. The 6pm and 7pm newscasts could have been leveraged by TEMA to order an evacuation then, before lines went down, power went out and cell towers on fire. 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. Granted these fires werent inside Gatlinburg, but the fire chief knew full well the potential for catastrophic wildfires in these mountains. Anyone can arm chair quarterback incident manager decisions after the smoke clears. It seems to me that the extreme wind was as unprecedented as the drought and the low stream levels. How many resources were on how many fires at that time in this region and in others? 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). There is an old saying he is known for: When government cannot accept criticism from the people, secular authority is no longer a democracy, but a dictatorship (paraphrased). 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. For folks afflicted by this tragedy, emotions running high should be expected; and it is understandable for Kelly Morgan to be upset. The wind and the low visibility caused by the smoke made it impossible to fly aircraft over the fire. Even so, is it risky to ignite backfire with such extreme fire conditions? Also, lots of hills in the area washed to bedrock by cloud burst and slides. I can picture all My main purpose in commenting was to differentiate between a monitored wildfire and prescribed fire. The reason that is a point is IMT has experience far beyond any fire teams in east TN or GSMNP, especially with wind-driven wildfires. They couldnt get out a cell mssg. I hounded the Knox News editor for a followup article around Dec. 19. 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. Thanksfully ATF agents helped TN Bureau of Investigation put their full resources at hand and arrested to two teenage idiots that started the fire. Only 0.05 inch fell at the Indian Grave Remote Automatic Weather Station 18 miles west of the fire. The governor needs to hear that, as well. Three people were killed and 14 others sent to area hospitals, Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller said Tuesday. The high winds were forecasted on the 25th, 2016. Shortly after that power was lost to the station and data stopped being recorded. 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? Who ever was in charge should loose their job!!! 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. That is when I said to myself Where the hell is TEMA?. Shelter locations could have been announced, especially encouraging people to take action during the daylight hours that day so that escaping in total darkness during an inferno of fire or not having the means to do so would not be forced on people, and they could make arrangements for their own safety. From an all hazards POV large scale fire should have been recognized long before any drought conditions. The fire broke out around 6:30 a.m. at the mall on the Parkway in downtown Gatlinburg. Before we got in the car, we each took photos of the approaching fire with our cell phones. I realize some of my questioning is speculative and yet legitimate. I said at the time thatvwas crazy, evac. Once again, can fire discreetly smolder in the duff amid rock crevices? At about 5:20 p.m. the fire was discoverednear the top of a steep hill called Chimney Tops not far from where another fire occurred about a week before. Drought, fall winds, fuel moistures that havent recovered in months, what part of this disaster was a surprise. Very well said Tommy. Later it changed to a mandatory evacuation. Why hasnt the NPS mentioned this first fire of the 14th? But fires are getting nastier everywhere and folks keep saying past fire history isnt as good a guide as it used to be. When the simple laws of fire physics and chemistry correctly combine, fuel, heat, oxygen, and in the wildland fire arena available fuels, topography and ideal fire weather conditions mix in perfect alignment plus given adequate TIME, a-bine unattended campfire, an arsonists match, or a slowly backing down-slope surface fire in leaf litter during a record setting drought will ultimately result in a disastrous conflagration. Gatlinburg Fire 2016: The Start. Their inter-agency investigation needs to look at the 1st Chimney Tops Fire of the 12/13th to the 17th of November 2016. If one is growing by experience you keep them moving forward as we all benefit from their learning and experience. It is written by Stephanie Sweeney, whose house was off the Spur between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. For the region, I hope fire officials do realize that regional history makes little difference if the right combination of factors exists for rapid and extreme fire growth. But outright blame? At 3:00PM I convinced my husband to call the Gatlinburg Fire Dept. Questions are powerful tools, but only when we allow them to be asked, we receive them with an openness and willingness to be vulnerable, and seek to answer them openly and without fear of reprisal.