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NPS manager Cassius Cash said the NPS didnt have the authority to order an evacuation (how about recommending a pre-evacuation status so the public was ready to evacuate if needed?). I would also hope that we would figure out that such major climate disruptions as the recent drought in the Southeast are getting more common and that human action has helped cause, and can help cure, such disruptions. However, to expect her to honor the NPS is inappropriate considering reality and her circumstances. They lost phone coverage but didnt activate the Motorola wide area radio system. 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. 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. 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. Once again, can fire discreetly smolder in the duff amid rock crevices? The fire occurred in the Autumn after the deciduous trees had shed their leaves adding more fuel to the forest floor that was already abundant with desiccated leaves, twigs, dead branches, and logs that had been sucked dry of their moisture by the months of drought. Another 2.3 inches accumulated that day by the time it stopped at 7 p.m. Not clouding the issues with the intent to take down a person. Someone must have started the fire. That and your wish to pay 50% income tax and there will never be a fire again! These fires were allowed to cook with little or no suppression action. I told him to go up and park in driveway close to where I wanted to leave the truck and that I would drive truck up. Their are undoubtedly many many causative factors for any disaster, even the actions, inactions and unintentional actions can be like a snowball rolling down a mountain of snow! The electricity goes out almost everytime there is a high wind. Many times this tactic takes commitment of over a week. 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. Who allowed this to happen? Im not saying IMTs are perfect (and no doubt there are background politics involved), but they sure appeared to do an awesome job coming to the situation with a big view and didnt hesitate to get the job done and keep the public informed. Perhaps all the firefighters prior experience was giving them mental slides that were no longer valid given the conditions. Fire those managers! What did City officials not understand about the approaching danger? She said I dont think its necessary for you to leave home with children and dog at this point. 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. Wildland firefighters typically request Spot Weather Forecasts from the NWS for wildland fires or other events that can be greatly influenced by weather. 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. 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 ? By the time the troops were called in, it was too late. Some of the towns most impacted were Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, both near Great Smoky Mountains National Park. He was told there was none/no one. We are facing some very large problems around our globe and in our own home communities, that will require some out of the box thinking and collaboration, some tough questions, and a lot of personal accountability review and growth. When we reached Turkey Nest Road there was a big white crewcab pickup truck parked in front of Barbaras Real Estate. The miracle is that more people did not Common since would tell you a mountain fire in wind and drought would move very fast!!! January 4, 2017 at 5:26 pm Alice Hagler was reported missing by her family and later confirmed dead. The contractor who had been working outside on the house left as it got dark early because of the smoke. May God look out for all of you in your time of loss. Most excellently put, Jeannine (you are an exceptional writer). Accountability! She said smoke had been super heavy. Until you sit in my seat after 20 years of fire service, making decisions on where to send your firefighters based on their experience levels, you will then realize decisions have trade offs and sometimes Mother Nature over rules you. Since we had been planning all day to go downtown to play trivia at Smoky Mountain Brewery, we left the house about 5:55PM. I dont understand, but I dont judge. Your reply well done! After the fact they called in helicopters to dump water on the fire which is what they should have done in the first place and didnt, WHY NOT? The lines between reality and virtual reality or fake reality are so blurred. Once again: the questions remain unanswered. This is just one more example of one more related issue that is seemingly un-connected until you delve into the issues deeply. And no doubt books both factual and not on this event. night at 9pm when mom said there was evacuation notice on TV. There should be accountability for those in charge, in every arena of governance and responsibility and at every level. Damage was estimated at. In addition thorough explanations could have been given for the reasons for calling for the Voluntary Evacuation and could have been published. The coolness and the moisture were gone. We discussed what we would/could do if we had to evacuate. She has given me permission to share it on this site. In my eyes, TEMA should have taken control of the situation and ordered evacuations before sunset. 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. 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. Neddo said total shock is the only way to describe how he feels. The deaths in this incident can be attributed to being trapped and forced to shelter in place. 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. Are city and county officials learning to use the expensive Motorola radio system that would have allowed various agencies to communicate when cell service went down? Yes, good points Jody. However, I still wonder why there has been no word from the governor about the post-fire review team he promised. I would recommend reviewing Wildfire Todays post titled: NPS releases information about the Chimneys Tops Fire 2 as well as the post Analysis of wind, vegetation, and air tankers before the fire burned into Gatlinburg. I am positive that for anyone who gives of themselves to protect and serve will forever be haunted by that far more than anyone of us can expect to hold them accountable by lynching. wasnt blocked off since Mynatt Park was told to evacuate at 5:17. Much of the southeastern United States had been suffering extremely dry conditions for two to three months. I dont think so they were the people in charge not any of us and they didnt do their job. Though once high winds hit, given the conditions there was no stopping the fire from destroying property. It is not just officials who have not caught up with the new climate reality, it is the general public and those in the path of fire. Ive learned so much on this blog over the past 6 weeks about how forest fires are managed and fought and Im most grateful for that. GATLINBURG, Tenn. ( WATE) A building destroyed by fire Sunday in downtown Gatlinburg has been torn down and the investigation into the cause continues. A fire burning under those conditions would likely burn more intensely, have a rate of spread faster than normal, and have more resistance to control. We had a contractor there working on improvements to our house. Fires in the Great. Lets just be careful about who they are in our criticism. They were flying water drops on Sunday with the equipment available (National Guard choppers). They decided instead to monitor and to identifyon a map areas for indirect containment lines which encompassed 410 acres. Who was responsible for Gatlinburg fire? I convinced my husband to drive back toward our house to see if we could see the fire. 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. Thats totally untrue. Watch the pride and ego firefighters: youll never outmatch Gods elements. Just looking at media coverage on the evacuation order public messaging snafu points out that this fire will provide many lessons learned for future fire managers. 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 .. 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. Would be interesting to dig down to find the ash line (which is probably illegal on federal lands). Will some folks be held accountable for actions or non-actions related to this wildfire incident? I can only say that I had no peace at all whatsoever after the first word I heard of the terrible fire there .. He wanted us to pack and leave. The leaves that had hung on into late Fall because of lack of winds and rain for months began to rain from the trees in copious amounts and there were leaf funnels forming and it was hard as we ran from cabin to car loading Abram and Lady. Bob, I know where youre coming from. We probably wont want to attribute 14 deaths to a non-native insect infestation, but in the end, can we say it exacerbated the situation? Bats were roosting in the church rafters and dropping feces onto the pews. We are excited to start new memories and get back on the trails. How far from the Chimney Tops, as the crow flies, were these pictures taken? He had been experiencing the high winds back West all day and was alarmed at possibilities as well. In this case, there were no firefighters in a position to take direct action. The cause of the fire has still not been determined. I hope that EM officials and local planning officials reconsider what and how structures are rebuilt in that area. I am a management specialist and I understand how to plan, and implement risk-protection and safety in many kinds of settings, to address various threats to people.