Downtown Gatlinburg under mandatory evacuation order due to wildfire.

[Chocolate Cake]

I am shocked that this is not a bigger headline on CNN. It is currently a small "blurb" 10 stories down on there website. A mere afterthought.

Can anyone suggest a local station or any other news source where I can get up to date information on this major national tragedy?

 

[asta]

I am shocked that this is not a bigger headline on CNN. It is currently a small "blurb" 10 stories down on there website. A mere afterthought.

Can anyone suggest a local station or any other news source where I can get up to date information on this major national tragedy?

I am watching the live feed on WBIR.com. I think WATE.com also has a live feed. These are local news stations out of Knoxville. They are doing a great job with coverage.

I agree with the lack of coverage from CNN. MSNBC did a little better yesterday but still not the news coverage I would expect from a fire that has devastated so much and so many people.

 

[Twende]

I live in Sevierville. Have business in Gatlinburg. The downtown "strip" is mostly intact - as being reported by the media, we cannot get into Gatlinburg, all roads into downtown are closed. The damage seems to be the ridges. Many, many cabins are total losses. Ski Mountain road has substantial damage. Ober Gatlinburg is ok. The hotel where the video was shot (Park Vista) has some damage, but is okay. Hillbilly golf has some damage, but may not be a total loss. Arts and Crafts community/loop is mostly fine. Dollywood is fine. Dream More resort is fine. The aquarium is okay.

About 4k people in shelters. 15k acres burned/burning. We were supposed to get rain tonight, but ahead of it is another night of high winds. This time, though, the winds are Southwest, so the fire should not come more toward Pigeon Forge.

The fire started early Monday near Chimney tops. We had smoke/ash all day - but around 5-6 p.m., the winds started blowing it. People were evacuated with only minutes notice.

3 confirmed dead, not identified, in separate incidents. the death toll will likely rise, as door to door searches are completed. We have seen a husband on tv since this morning - he left his wife and 2 daughters at home while he checked the progress of the fire. When he returned, he was unable to get to his home because of the flames. He has not seen them since.Many missing people photos and details posted on the community pages.

Pray for our area!

Thank you for your update! Please continue to stay safe and let us know if there is any thing we can do to help!

There is a site now for missing persons. None of the people I listed previously have been found. http://www.wbir.com/news/local/wildfire/list-people-reported-missing-after-wildfires/359257718

They did add one more to the deceased list this morning. It was someone found in the Travelers Motel.

The Red Cross asked that all "in kind" donations be stopped as of right now as they can not safely and effectively handle the donations that have already flooded into them.

Add to this the tornado in Athens, TN last night and the area has taken quite a hit. All the town officials are asking for prayer.

We are in the mountains of N GA, not too far from all of this and into our 2nd month of fighting forest fires around us. But for the wind direction and speed our little town could look exactly like Gatlinburg. The firefighters from all over the US and world have been here fighting these human started (arson) fires. The firefighters have directed the fires and literally burned them right up to peoples homes and then scooted the fires around the structures. We have lost one home and a building on the top of Wayah Bald. No human life lost and no firefighters injured. We have been blessed with mostly low winds. The smoke is a whole different story. It has made us cough our fool heads off and even with escaping to friends homes over the holidays we are still hacking away. We had rain yesterday and again today so that will help with the dry drought conditions. Fires are my worse nightmare and something like this has not been seen in our area.

 

[Twilight Sparkle]

@tinatark I'm glad you're safe, and I hope your business is as well.

 

[sam_gordon]

I thought people might find this map interesting... https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewe...&ll=35.70568227410068,-83.51294636906437&z=17.

According to the map, Park Vista is destroyed according to TEMA. DS and I stayed there for a soccer tournament back in March. One of the most beautiful hotels I've stayed at. I remember going up/down the drive to the hotel thinking how bad it would be during the winter. I never thought about forest fires. I wish I had more pictures from our stay there.

 

[asta]

The firefighters from all over the US and world have been here fighting these human started (arson) fires

I have heard that in addition to the sickos and the careless who start fires, there are actually people who think they are helping the environment by burning underbrush. It is hard to think anyone could see this devastation and believe this.

 

[NotUrsula]

I have heard that in addition to the sickos and the careless who start fires, there are actually people who think they are helping the environment by burning underbrush. It is hard to think anyone could see this devastation and believe this.

Actually, controlled burns are very helpful for the environment, and when done correctly, lessen the danger of wildfire by removing the most fast-burning fuel sources. However, only an idiot would have attempted a controlled burn with the recent weather conditions in that area.

http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/dbnf/home/?cid=stelprdb5281464

 

[tina.tina]

There was actually a burn ban for East Tennessee. I live in Southwest Virginia (about 2.5 hours from Gatlinburg) and we've had one, too. There are so many nearby fires and it is often very smoky in my town. My daughter's asthma has been acting up. She's had to use her inhaler almost daily for the past couple of weeks. We've all been coughing off and on.

We are going to be staying in Sevierville 4 nights the last week of this month. We have annual passes to the Aquarium and Dollywood and are planning to visit both places if everything is open then. I really dread seeing the damage. My son loves the Aquarium and has been really worried about the animals there. I am praying for all of the missing people and their families as well as those who have been injured and have died.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Thank you Not Ursula.
Many agencies use controlled burns in a very beneficial way.
Here in the SouthEast, it is a good and safe tool.
Only in this one-in-a-thousand year drought conditions, like this year does it become an issue.
The conditions and lack of humidity are almost NEVER this extreme.
I do not know anybody here who has ever seen or heard of this kind of horrible, horrible, tragedy before.
These conditions, followed by these unheard of winds... So SAD!!!!

Of course, this would not usually be done on some lands, such as Smoky Mountain National Park, which is pretty much a 'preserve'.
DH and I know somebody who works the State, here, and controlled burns are sometimes used as a lands management and wildlife habitat development tool.
He texted us a picture, weeks and weeks ago, when the drought first started, where he was helping to fight some of these first wildfires here in our area that were threatening State Land.

 

[tinatark]

I thought people might find this map interesting... https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1j7dJNKio1QPbslWy4PDNMsQkUes&ll=35.70568227410068,-83.51294636906437&z=17.

According to the map, Park Vista is destroyed according to TEMA. DS and I stayed there for a soccer tournament back in March. One of the most beautiful hotels I've stayed at. I remember going up/down the drive to the hotel thinking how bad it would be during the winter. I never thought about forest fires. I wish I had more pictures from our stay there.

That list is not correct. I believe the Park Vista was damaged, but not destroyed.

I have posted a link from a guy who apparently stayed in Gatlinburg. He has posted many very clear photos. Most are labeled.

https://www.facebook.com/eddie.drake.77/photos_albums

 

[sam_gordon]

That list is not correct. I believe the Park Vista was damaged, but not destroyed.

I have posted a link from a guy who apparently stayed in Gatlinburg. He has posted many very clear photos. Most are labeled.

https://www.facebook.com/eddie.drake.77/photos_albums

Page not found (I'm not on FB anyway).

 

[tinatark]

This pic puts it into perspective.

*I think you have to be a facebook member to view anything there

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...=a.36127425348.44175.831675348&type=3&theater

 

[sam_gordon]

This pic puts it into perspective.

*I think you have to be a facebook member to view anything there

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...=a.36127425348.44175.831675348&type=3&theater

Actually I can see that one.

 

[pryncess527]

This pic puts it into perspective.

*I think you have to be a facebook member to view anything there

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...=a.36127425348.44175.831675348&type=3&theater

It really does, thank you for sharing. It hammers home the heroism and dedication of these people. I know many of the firefighters in TN generally are volunteer -- I would imagine many of the people who are fighting this fire fall into that category. What an amazing strength to be willing to do such dangerous work, either as a career or volunteer.

 

[tinatark]

There is a local news conference on now with county and city officials. 7 deaths confirmed. Over 400 structures damaged within the county. 8 new fires sprung overnight. 15k acres burned. We have had soaking rain for most of the day today. I can look from my front door and see the mountains today, for the first time since Monday! All I hear when I open my front door is birds chirping. One of the things we were told would happen was that the wildlife would come for shelter.

 

[Shutterbug]

Three of the deaths were in the area of Chalet Village. There is a video on youtube of two people escaping that fire by driving down roads with fire on both sides. I would post a link but it contains profanity.

This is from the Knoxville Sentinel:

The blaze apparently began when embers from a wildfire on nearby Chimney Tops Trail in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park wafted into the Twin Creek and Mynatt Park areas of town Monday night as the already heavy winds doubled in speed, the fire chief said. The resulting flames swept through Gatlinburg in less than a quarter-hour, fanned by winds at speeds that approached 90 mph.

That's nowhere to be when you're trying to fight a fire," Miller said. "That is hurricane force. Within a span of 15 minutes, we were dispatched to more than 20 structure fires."

The flames swept through in less than a quarter of and hour. Wow! I have heard some (not here) saying why didnt these people get a warning. This is why.

 

[tinatark]

http://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/...ing-wildfire-recovery-official-says/94700498/

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Actually, controlled burns are very helpful for the environment, and when done correctly, lessen the danger of wildfire by removing the most fast-burning fuel sources. However, only an idiot would have attempted a controlled burn with the recent weather conditions in that area.

http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/dbnf/home/?cid=stelprdb5281464

I've been wondering if this was similar to the Yellowstone fires of '88 that could have been lessened if not for decades of fire suppression leading up to the dry year disaster.

 

[Mizzoufan]

Does anyone know if the man looking for his wife and his daughters have been found?

 

[Twende]

Does anyone know if the man looking for his wife and his daughters have been found?

Nothing has been announced about the Reed family. I can not imagine the agony he must be in and his young son too. Three more bodies were found together and they were inside a house that was on a street connected to the street where the Reed family lived but none of the 7 bodies found have been officially identified. Maybe by morning we will hear some news.

If I understand it correctly they did rescue 3 people today from other structures so there really is a chance that the missing people could be trapped some where.