who caused the gatlinburg fires?

I said a quick prayer for safety and we started up hill to leave our truck. I also wanted to let everyone know that the City and County is an example of nepotism at its finest. I can only hope that the actions are being undertaken somewhere and by the decision-makers and leaders to think and act differently. 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 park should have been begging for help and putting out warnings all week end!!! 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. The forecast issued Sunday included this text in the Discussion section: High pressure will hang on for Sunday with sunny skies and above normal temperatures. Tunica, MS, from our area near Kansas City, to arrive late evening, that day, in Tunica. The NPS investigation team has all this information and everything posted on Wildfire Today and a lot of info that was never made public. It seems that not even people in western areas have learned that lesson very well, and now it is time for those with homes and property in the east to realize they are at risk too. Between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.they increased to 7 to 15 mph with gusts of 22 to 32 mph all generally out of the south, blowing toward Gatlinburg. What really was going on here? 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. What are they doing? Local officials dont seem to learn from past experiences, nor plan well for possible dangers. Was it ever fully suppressed? In a time in which the NPS and all other government agencies are under attack and certain factions are seeking to replace all our government agencies with private for profit industry I would not ignore the possibility of anything. I told him my home was on fire and he said they were evacuating everyone,then. And not only they had time to evacuate but I called 911 Monday night on Nov. 28 2016 and ask if there was any evacuation orders for Gatlinburg and was told By The 911 operator no not at this time Later found out the whole place was on fire at the same time I called 911 ( WHY ) was I lied to ? I appreciate that fine quality of writing that expresses your thoughts in an easy to read yet structured style that makes sense. I will not be looking for Gatlinburg or Sevier county first response personnel as those people will be grounded by a spineless group of county, city and NPS managers Who can only be described as cowardly indecisive. That seems to be confirmation that the fire had crossed 441 early in the day. The identities of the three killed have not been released . Visited Gatlinburg for the first time in Oct 2016. 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. Branson is built into the mountainous forests of south-central Missouri, is a resort town, and a retirement community and entertainment venue. Brian Blanco/Getty. Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Gatlinburg Fire Department and Gatlinburg Police Department officials are investigating. In fact, Monday afternoon several rental agencies were telling reservation customers to come on to Gatlinburg (news documented). Gatlinburg businesses look to rebuild after massive fire. The official cause is down power lines due to high winds and fallen trees, according to a National Park Service news release. A year or two ago, there was a small fire on Rocky Spur on the Rainbow Falls Trail up Mt. Why are there not more prescribed and controlled burns being conducted? We spent Thanksgiving there with our family, who left on Sunday. Parkway in downtown Gatlinburg from the intersection at Traffic Light No. Be sure to bring valid forms of identification showing name and address of residence or business inside Gatlinburg. 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. 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. GALLATIN, Tenn. (WTVF) Wildfires have ravaged Sevier County six years after deadly fires destroyed parts of Gatlinburg. Asked if I knew if there were any other people down in that area. Firefighting resources assigned to the fire include 25 hand crews, 61 engines, 6 helicopters, and 2 dozers, for a total 780 personnel. Can we allow room for others to fail forward? I wonder why? Earlier on Tuesday, media reported that a man was arrested for setting three fires that spread into a 300-acre fire in. I hear of those who didnt leave until 9:00 that night. 865-637-2442. There was a yellow glow in the skies which has always been indicative of severe weather where we came from. But, well see what the investigation comes up with. But there have also been many times when these so called experts were thrust into a different climate or situation and they too experienced failures. I told her when she does mine about my rebuild and my crooked contractor I will speak plenty about the ineptness of the NPS and local fire officials. There will be time to consider legal and civil options later . They did too little, too late. How Gatlinburg attempted to notify its residents to evacuate as the fire burned into the city, http://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/tennessee/2016/12/13/timeline-gatlinburg-wildfires/95138656/, http://www.southernfireexchange.org/etc/ITPFISE.pdf, Long bushfire season wears down firefighters in Queensland and Western Australia, Community near Heppner, Oregon first in Morrow County to earn Firewise designation, County Cork fire brigades work through the night on gorse fires, Renewed call for the Holy Grail of firefighter tracking, Hiker owes $300,000 for Arizona wildfire he started. Here again, more of a horse and pony show from all officials both state and federal. 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. So my husband called the Gatlinburg policy department with the same questions and got the same answers. Will Lessons Learned fade into distant short-term US fire management history archives once again. Will some folks be held accountable for actions or non-actions related to this wildfire incident? Hit it with all you have the Moment it breaks out.. We watched the news the rest of evening. He should loose his job and be prosecuted for this mess he created. GFD officials examined the scene and found a body, later identified as Joe Martin Bates, in Suite 4. Whomever is in charge locally for the NPS should also be summarily fired. Some may be pines, but the vast majority appear to be hemlocks. If you take a hands off approach with minimal management and indirectly Play God look out. Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new articles by email. Screenshot from the Knox News video. Anyone who has toured the hillsides where most of the homes that were destroyed would know immediately how difficult evacuations would be. I think 6 days should have been plenty of time for them to do something we now see what inaction causes, dont we. Gusts above 40 continued until 2 a.m. on Tuesday when they mostly dropped below 20 mph for the rest of the day. In all the Disasters I have worked in Texas, FEMA reimburse City or County for debris pickup. Thanks for the legwork. This rain took much of the heat out of the vegetation fire and slowed the spread, but smoke from the burning structures in the communities and smouldering logs in the Park continued to fill the air. There isn't one specific cause behind the fires, Boyd said. I am aware that in this area of the Eastern Appalachians, there are many retired firefighters and emergency personnel who would probably be willing partners in helping other regional professionals and volunteers in meeting the opportunities presented by a changing world. We strive to use real facts, not alternative facts, on Wildfire Today. We listened to local TV news at home which reported voluntary evacuations for Mynatt Park after fire was reported in the Twin Creeks area. I dont think so they were the people in charge not any of us and they didnt do their job. To echo your statements, the information is out there, a model exists on how to properly do it now its getting the proper training for all of the professionals involved and the public taking the role of accountability watchdogs. We need a growing pool of resources who have gained knowledge and wisdom hat can be applied to future events, not to lessen the pool by throwing out those who failed but are not a failure. Sweeney, to be honest weve never experienced circumstances quite like this. I thanked her, hung up and told Stanton to go load Ladys kennel. The fire season last year set new records in the state for the expansive area that burned, with more than 4.2m acres (1.7m hectares) scorched by more than 9,900 fires across California. That and your wish to pay 50% income tax and there will never be a fire again! True, our firefighters and 1st responders put their lives in harms way and we should respect them; and yet distinguish these folks from officials who are undoubtedly making bad calls/decisions. This would help the owners defray some costs so they can rebuild. Not even 5 years ago over 60 homes burned in one night in Wears Valley when fire spread from house to house, in the fall, during a high wind. Even so, is it risky to ignite backfire with such extreme fire conditions? A voluntary evacuation should have been issued at least 36 hours before the fire exploded. It was about 11:30AM when we got to downtown Gatlinburg, where I took photos of the heavy on the Parkway in town. Once again, can fire discreetly smolder in the duff amid rock crevices? The use of smokejumpers could be part of the plan. You have my utmost respect for firefighting; and Ive recently addressed a firefighter who was an apparent spokesman for the local media patty-caking. Are they learning how to use it? I have wanted to learn because I dont know enough to say much, but when I read your two posts about the loss of your cabin, and your escape, I felt I had to say, Im so sorry, to you, and probably speak for many many others who did not find this blog and find an avenue to learn, listen and to speak.