Downtown Gatlinburg under mandatory evacuation order due to wildfire.

[pryncess527]

Westgate Resort has conflicting reports but I'm hearing most of it has been destroyed. BUT, some good news, Ripley's Aquarium just posted. They were able to get marine biologists in there and they are fine, as are the animals!

I'm so glad to hear that update! I've been hoping the aquarium would be safe, it broke my heart when I read about the staff being forced to evacuate and having to leave so many animals behind.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I read several places that it was, but there are so many conflicting reports, who knows? The Hilton Park Vista is a 16-story hotel!

Also heard that the 100-building Westgate timeshare resort was completely destroyed.

Still waiting to hear about the Wyndham Great Smoky Mountains resort -- that's our home resort.

Thanks for the reply. I tried to Google it, but I also found conflicting reports. It doesn't look good though. I hope for the sake of your home resort & all the other homes & businesses that they get the fires under control soon.

 

[LilyWDW]

Video from the Park Vista:

The hotel was one of the structures that was on fire and it was also pretty much surrounded. So I don't know if it is destroyed, but it does not look good for its chances. I'm not holding on to much hope.

So keep praying and crossing your fingers for the cities and people in the area. It's still a bad situation with high winds expected before they will get more rain.

 

[Wendy31]

I am in shock. I lived in East Tennessee for nearly 14 years before I moved where I am now. I spent a LOT of time in the Sevierville/Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area so I know it well. And to hear about the places that are now just gone... I can't wrap my head around it. Park Vista Hotel... gone. Hillybilly Golf... gone. Homes and other businesses... just gone.

When DH's brother got married in Gatlinburg, the evening after the wedding, we all went to play Hillbilly Golf & even DH's brother & sister-in-law (the groom & bride) joined us. And the Christmas DH's older brother was deployed, the family spent Christmas in Gatlinburg, & we all again played Hillbilly Golf. So it was a "special memory" place for us. I'm so sad that it's gone.

I read somewhere that Ripley's Aquarium is still okay for right now.

I watched the video of the 2 men & their dog trying to get down the mountain too, & I can't even imagine. I was impressed by how calm they were! All the pictures & videos are just so surreal.

Living within just a few hours drive away from the area, DH & I have both been so many times over the years that we'd started taking it for granted. A few summers ago, it was so HOT down here, that we even drove up to the Smoky Mountains one afternoon just so we could stick our feet in the cold mountain creek.

I'm a beach girl at heart, &, given the opportunity, I choose the beach over the mountains. But these mountains & area will always be special to our family. The last time we spent the weekend in Gatlinburg, our younger DS was a baby - and, that trip, I strolled around the ice skating rink w/ him while DH ice-skated w/ DD & our older DS at Ober Gatlinburg. DH & I spent one night this past April for our anniversary & decided that it'd been too long since we'd been & that we needed to bring the kids again. I think we just assumed it would always be there.

We love the Cade's Cove area & driving through the mountains & all the wildlife, and this picture just breaks my heart. My prayers for all the people & animals affected by this horrible fire & all the firefighters who are fighting it...

 

[BrianL]

I remember going to Gatlinburg a lot as a kid. It's such a lovely town. Some of the pictures in the news are places I remember. I hope everyone stays safe (including the animals in the aquarium) and that the damage is limited.

 

[asta]

My heart is breaking. My first concern is for those experiencing personal loss but I am so sad for the loss of the forrest. The Smokies are a national treasure and I hate to see the scarred landscapes. And the wildlife that must be suffering.

National news coverage has been minimal - they have other things to cover. WBIR.com and WATE.com are great news sites that are devoting themselves to coverage. They are beginning to show images of the damage.

 

[Wendy31]

We spent all of last week there and just returned home this weekend. The Chimneys were on fire while we were there. Even though the affected area was small at that time, there was still smoke visible in the air and you could occasionally smell it. I cannot imagine the horror that is going on right now. All the people and animals in the path of this fire are in my prayers. I pray the rain arrives quickly.

I feel like I need to apologize because I think, on the other thread about the wildfires, you asked about smoke in the area, & I told you that Pigeon Forge & Gatlinburg were fine. But, at the time, one of my friends really was there & reporting clear, blue skies. But I'm sorry if the smoke affected your asthma any!

 

[Airship Ariadne]

My heart is breaking. My first concern is for those experiencing personal loss but I am so sad for the loss of the forrest. The Smokies are a national treasure and I hate to see the scarred landscapes. And the wildlife that must be suffering.

National news coverage has been minimal - they have other things to cover. WBIR.com and WATE.com are great news sites that are devoting themselves to coverage. They are beginning to show images of the damage.

I think the national news is reporting it now, top story on CNN.com. I think this could be as bad as a hurricane landfall in terms of impact to an area. definitely a major disaster.

 

[Wendy31]

Is Park Vista completely destroyed? DH asked me about it, when he heard about the fire this morning. It holds a very special place in our hearts. Thanks to a stay at PV many years ago we now have a 24 yr. old. This is heartbreaking.

I was wondering about the Park Vista too - especially after the video last night.

7 hours ago, someone named Bruce McCamish who is from Pigeon Forge posted several pictures of the area around the Dollywood DreamMore Resort on Facebook & said the following about the Park Vista & other structures:

"With a heavy heart I bring you some images of Pigeon Forge. At this hour it appears 30 plus buildings in Gatlinburg has burned. The Aquarium and most buildings on the main street are ok. Park Vista hotel ok. Hundreds of cabins destroyed. Fire covers both sides of the river in Gatlinburg, most of the Spur where West Gate Resort is located mostly burned. Several fires around Pigeon Forge where many cabins were destroyed. I believe by daybreak the enormity, the devastation of the situation will be revealed with hundreds of buildings burned to the ground. Pictured below is Dollywood Dreammore Hotel with fires burning cabins above and then Pigeon Forge viewed from the Dupont Springs firetower. Prayers for all."

However, that was 7 hours ago, & I think they are now saying over 100 structures. I also read where the middle of Gatlinburg was okay, but both ends were "apocalyptic." I'm trying to find where I read that, but, now, of course, I can't.

And this report at midnight lists a "16 story hotel on Regan Drive" as "on fire".

http://www.wbir.com/news/local/gatlinburg-neighborhood-voluntarily-evacuating-due-to-fire/357115866

 

[wvjules]

Where is the video of the men and their dogs?

We were there earlier this month and I took a few pictures of wildfires in the distance.

 

[Wendy31]

Where is the video of the men and their dogs?

We were there earlier this month and I took a few pictures of wildfires in the distance.

I'm not going to link it because, while they are calm & not panicky, there are a lot of curse words.

However, if you look up Michael Luciano on Facebook, it's trending. He has a Facebook page, & I think his videos are linked on one of the news sites - maybe WBIR?

Wes Rucker on Twitter also links to it.

Wes Rucker also links to a story about a woman who fled the mountain w/ her dogs but had to leave her husband - such a sad & scary story! They were apparently sitting in their cabin when they heard an explosion. Her husband went to investigate, but never came back. She looked for him & called for him, but, eventually, the fire around the cabin got so bad that she had to leave w/o him.

 

[asta]

I was wondering about the Park Vista too - especially after the video last night.

7 hours ago, someone named Bruce McCamish who is from Pigeon Forge posted several pictures of the area around the Dollywood DreamMore Resort on Facebook & said the following about the Park Vista & other structures:

"With a heavy heart I bring you some images of Pigeon Forge. At this hour it appears 30 plus buildings in Gatlinburg has burned. The Aquarium and most buildings on the main street are ok. Park Vista hotel ok. Hundreds of cabins destroyed. Fire covers both sides of the river in Gatlinburg, most of the Spur where West Gate Resort is located mostly burned. Several fires around Pigeon Forge where many cabins were destroyed. I believe by daybreak the enormity, the devastation of the situation will be revealed with hundreds of buildings burned to the ground. Pictured below is Dollywood Dreammore Hotel with fires burning cabins above and then Pigeon Forge viewed from the Dupont Springs firetower. Prayers for all."

However, that was 7 hours ago, & I think they are now saying over 100 structures. I also read where the middle of Gatlinburg was okay, but both ends were "apocalyptic." I'm trying to find where I read that, but, now, of course, I can't.

And this report at midnight lists a "16 story hotel on Regan Drive" as "on fire".

http://www.wbir.com/news/local/gatlinburg-neighborhood-voluntarily-evacuating-due-to-fire/357115866

WBIR.com just had a reporter with video at the Wesr Gate Resort. Some buildings were burned to their foundation but others looked untouched. A coffee shop before the entrance was gone, another building just inside the entrance was untouched, a large multistory building looked OK. He said buildings on one side of the road had damage and the other side was ok. While filming the reporter had to evacuate but had to leave because a propane tank began to spew.

 

[pryncess527]

Here is an update on Westgate, from a company executive:

Richard Siegel, an executive with the company and son of Westgate's David Siegel, confirmed to Orlando Business Journal that the firm's Gatlinburg resort, the 763-room Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa which has more than 100 buildings, has been caught in the fire. Westgate owns two other resorts in the area, as well: the River Terrace Resort & Convention Center and the Wild Bear Inn.

"They evacuated our resort yesterday. I hear a few buildings are standing but most of the resort burned down," Siegel said via email. "Wild Bear is OK. We don't know about River Terrace yet. As far as our resort, I just heard 19 cabins and two midrise buildings are standing. The waterpark, operations and sales are the only buildings left."

[Update: Siegel has confirmed the River Terrace resort was not caught in the fire.]

 

[Wendy31]

I found this post listing which structures are damaged, destroyed, or intact - obviously, it's not a comprehensive list. However, in the list, there are links w/ more information about the Park Vista & Ripley's.

http://www.wbir.com/news/local/gatlinburg-fires-whats-damaged-destroyed-and-intact/357891924

 

[Tasha228]

Eight Gables Inn has confirmed on FB that it was destroyed by the fire. This one devastates me.

 

[Wishing on a star]

All of these verifications of all that was lost.... and OMG that one photo posted by Wendy.
SO SAD...

 

[declansdad]

[QUOTE="Wendy31, post: 56802568, member: 83250

We love the Cade's Cove area & driving through the mountains & all the wildlife, and this picture just breaks my heart. My prayers for all the people & animals affected by this horrible fire & all the firefighters who are fighting it...

View attachment 208077[/QUOTE]


That picture is not from the fire and may not even be real. You can find it in posts over the Internet from as far back as 2010. The same think happened earlier this year during the fire in Fort Mac Murray, Alberta. People posted pictures claiming they were from the fire and in many cases, weren't even from the area.

 

[Wendy31]

[QUOTE="Wendy31, post: 56802568, member: 83250

We love the Cade's Cove area & driving through the mountains & all the wildlife, and this picture just breaks my heart. My prayers for all the people & animals affected by this horrible fire & all the firefighters who are fighting it...

View attachment 208077

That picture is not from the fire and may not even be real. You can find it in post over the Internet from as far back as 2010. The same think happened earlier this year during the fire in Fort Mac Murray, Alberta. People posted pictures claiming they were from the fire and in many cases, weren't even from the area.[/QUOTE]

Well, good!! That makes me feel better. Thank you! (And I normally verify stuff like that before I post...)

However, I'm sure pictures like that could be taken right now considering how & where the fires are burning.

 

[asta]

Local news is reporting that three burn victims have been transported to the burn unit at Vanderbilt. All are in critical condition, one was life-flighted.

 

[LilyWDW]

I found this post listing which structures are damaged, destroyed, or intact - obviously, it's not a comprehensive list. However, in the list, there are links w/ more information about the Park Vista & Ripley's.

http://www.wbir.com/news/local/gatlinburg-fires-whats-damaged-destroyed-and-intact/357891924

While I am glad to see that Park Vista ended up beating the odds (I am seriously shocked due to the video I saw), others just made me cry. Especially Alamo Steakhouse. The last time we ate there was one of the last good days we had before my mom was diagnosed with cancer. So it holds really special memories in my heart of my mom before the cancer took her. So the loss of it has hit me hard, like one more link is gone. Maybe that sounds silly, I don't know.