GATLINBURG on FIRE

[macville]

37 minutes ago, monkeylizard said:

Earlier reports that Ober Gatlinburg was destroyed appear to be false. Ober posted pics on their FB page this morning showing the building intact and said they appear to have been spared. The last report I read said the Park Vista hotel was still burning and that much of Regan Rd. (the road by Ripley's Believe It Or Not) from the parkway up towards Park Vista was heavily damaged or destroyed. One of the agencies (can't recall which) said that the main downtown stretch of Gatlinburg is intact, but it looks like the Apocalypse on either side of it.

I very much doubt the park vista is burning. I've stayed there 20+ times and that building is nothing but concrete. The landscape around it would be the only thing that could burn. Ironically enough, I stood on my balcony one time there and watched a car out in the parking lot burn because the engine caught fire. Kept waiting for the gas tank to explode but the GFD got to it in time.

[Lumber_Jack]

We got reports yesterday the the Chimney Tops fire in the GSMNP was growing into a Monster.  We staged crews around the Mynatt Park area and put dozer lines in to help.  The problem was there were already spot fires just south of Gatlinburg that we could not see or assess because the wind was smoking in the whole valley.  Crews did the best the could be around 6pm the winds started spiking and the fires became erratic and fast moving.  This wasn't one huge wave but sparks flying starting many fires, some that grew together and made big fronts.  Trees were downing power lines and starting new fires.  This was an event unlike any others we've seen in the state.  Today will reveal a lot about what actually happened last night.  Lots of false reports but there is no doubt that a lot of people lost homes

[Lumber_Jack]

1 minute ago, macville said:

I very much doubt the park vista is burning. I've stayed there 20+ times and that building is nothing but concrete. The landscape around it would be the only thing that could burn. Ironically enough, I stood on my balcony one time there and watched a car out in the parking lot burn because the engine caught fire. Kept waiting for the gas tank to explode but the GFD got to it in time.

 

Park Vista was partially burned from the reports we heard this morning, I'm assuming the part that extends west towards the trees.  The Driftwood Apartments at the base of Park Vista were reportedly destroyed.  

[Sam1]

damn they even had to break out dozers?  Only fire on the east coast I've ever seen those at was down in GA back in 06-07 iirc.  Everything else around here is just the usual leaf litter from a few years back burning off, which you are already aware of.

[R_Bert]

19 minutes ago, Lumber_Jack said:

We got reports yesterday the the Chimney Tops fire in the GSMNP was growing into a Monster.  We staged crews around the Mynatt Park area and put dozer lines in to help.  The problem was there were already spot fires just south of Gatlinburg that we could not see or assess because the wind was smoking in the whole valley.  Crews did the best the could be around 6pm the winds started spiking and the fires became erratic and fast moving.  This wasn't one huge wave but sparks flying starting many fires, some that grew together and made big fronts.  Trees were downing power lines and starting new fires.  This was an event unlike any others we've seen in the state.  Today will reveal a lot about what actually happened last night.  Lots of false reports but there is no doubt that a lot of people lost homes

The firefighters & emergency responders did an amazing job in saving lives last night, under impossible circumstances.  The wind here in Clinton was 30 MPH, I can only imagine what it was like up there.  There may be some navel-gazing coming up, but damn, those guys were good.

Edited November 29, 2016 by R_Bert

[Lumber_Jack]

The firefighters & emergency responders did an amazing job in saving lives last night, under impossible circumstances.  The wind here in Clinton was 30 MPH, I can only imagine what it was like up there.  There may be some navel-gazing coming up, but damn, those guys were good.

Yes it is amazing that we have zero fatalities at this point. There were wind gusts of 87mph reported last night. Those can blow embers over a mile. Peoples neighborhoods were on fire before they knew there was danger.

[monkeylizard]

Driftwood Apartments definitely burned. KnowxNews.com has some photos. Scroll down past the video to find the slideshow. #28 of 60 is the Driftwood: http://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/2016/11/29/30-gatlinburg-structures-fire-tema/94584554/

 

Park Vista's structure is concrete, but it's still full of stuff that burns like carpet, furniture, cabinets, drapes, bedding, etc. The video shared yesterday by their Sous Chef was pretty incredible. If it didn't burn part of that place, they'll be incredibly lucky.

Edited November 29, 2016 by monkeylizard

[dcloudy777]

I'm trying to get some donated stuff together and up to Knoxville, where they have "staging areas" to get the stuff up into the mountains where it's needs.  Done with work in a couple of hours and going to see how much it would cost to rent a box truck.  I'll drive it up myself.

 

I'm thinking bottled water, Gatorade, non-perishable food, blankets, pet food, pet crates....

Anyone in the Tullahoma area wants to help, just let me know. 

[Erik88]

39 minutes ago, Lumber_Jack said:

 

 

Yes it is amazing that we have zero fatalities at this point. There were wind gusts of 87mph reported last night. Those can blow embers over a mile. Peoples neighborhoods were on fire before they knew there was danger.

 

 

Your post really helped put things in perspective. I was telling my wife this morning that it seemed odd that the residents got zero warning.

When you see fires on the news out west they typically have a lot more time to get out of their houses. Most of the people they interviewed on the news stated that there was zero warning. One minute everything was fine and the next their backyard was on fire. You really helped put things in perspective though. Given the wind and dry conditions it doesn't seem like there is anything the firefighters could have done that would have changed the outcome. Like you said, if no one loses their life it will have been a miracle.  Right now I would tell anyone in East TN that lives in a wooded area to be on alert. From what we saw last night things chance change in a matter of minutes and you need to have a plan in place for how to get out of dodge if needed.

Edited November 29, 2016 by Erik88

[bersaguy]

22 minutes ago, Erik88 said:

Your post really helped put things in perspective. I was telling my wife this morning that it seemed odd that the residents got zero warning.

When you see fires on the news out west they typically have a lot more time to get out of their houses. Most of the people they interviewed on the news stated that there was zero warning. One minute everything was fine and the next their backyard was on fire. You really helped put things in perspective though. Given the wind and dry conditions it doesn't seem like there is anything the firefighters could have done that would have changed the outcome. Like you said, if no one loses their life it will have been a miracle.  Right now I would tell anyone in East TN that lives in a wooded area to be on alert. From what we saw last night things chance change in a matter of minutes and you need to have a plan in place for how to get out of dodge if needed.

I think the main issue is that folks in East Tennessee and other surrounding states that stretch from the Smokies through the Applachian mountain chain are not as use to facing a forest fire as the people out west are. We seldom have drought conditions as bad as this year and tey have been facing these conditions in the west for many years so they know more how to plan on escape routes. Last time we had conditions close to these was 2013 when they did have a few fires in the  Smokie Mountain Park but were contained quickly.  I think in 2013 we also had the La'Nin'a weather system in the Pacific which is a dry warm weather system.

[R_Bert]

Gatlinburg Mayor just confirmed 3 fatalities.  Still miraculous. There were a number of neighborhoods that were quickly blocked by fire / tree fall preventing notification by emergency personnel.

 

Gov. Haslam - largest fire in 100 years in the state of TN

[Grand Torino]

God Bless all involved in this mess regardless if they are victims and families, firefighters and first responders and anyone else in saving anyone or anything. I lost a place in Arizona many years ago to forest fire and I can tell you the whole thing seems like a nightmare. We were fortunate as we had plenty of warning and more that one escape route but I can tell you first hand that the sick feeling you get as you drive away and see your property getting ready to burn to the ground is nearly as sad as it gets.

[dcloudy777]

Okay, my "care package" trip is officially on now.  Truck is rented (Thanks for the hook up, Penske and Mike's Tire in Tullahoma), heading up to Knoxville on Saturday morning.

Donation drop-off points have been established at Bacchus Fine Wines (my place) and Templar Shooting Sports (the new inddor shooting range) in Tullahoma.  

Bottled water, sports drinks, non-perishable food, blankets, pet food, pet crates, batteries, toiletry items... basically anything you'd need if your house burned down, or if you had just spent 18 hours keeping peoples' houses from burning down (lots of tired first responders up there working hard).

 

Shoot me a private message or just ask here if you have any questions or want to donate but can't make it to Tullahoma.

[LI0NSFAN]

Petsmarts all over the area are taking pet related donations. They are already connected to most rescues and shelters so you know it will reach the pets in a timely manner. I was told the biggest need right now is cat litter. This might be the best was to help displaced pets rather then calling around to find out who needs what. Petsmart will make the propper deliveries to the right places based on need. It would be a shame to drop 50lbs of dog food of to a place that has plenty and the shelter down the road has none.

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[LI0NSFAN]

Sorry double post

[Garufa]

1 hour ago, dcloudy777 said:

Okay, my "care package" trip is officially on now.  Truck is rented (Thanks for the hook up, Penske and Mike's Tire in Tullahoma), heading up to Knoxville on Saturday morning.

Donation drop-off points have been established at Bacchus Fine Wines (my place) and Templar Shooting Sports (the new inddor shooting range) in Tullahoma.  

Bottled water, sports drinks, non-perishable food, blankets, pet food, pet crates, batteries, toiletry items... basically anything you'd need if your house burned down, or if you had just spent 18 hours keeping peoples' houses from burning down (lots of tired first responders up there working hard).

 

Shoot me a private message or just ask here if you have any questions or want to donate but can't make it to Tullahoma.

Mighty fine thing you are doing and glad you're not headed up here now.  There is a curfew in effect from 6 to 6 tonight down there.  I heard G-burg then Sevier Co.  Don't know where all it is or how long it will last.

[Garufa]

11 minutes ago, LI0NSFAN said:

Petsmarts all over the area are taking pet related donations. They are already connected to most rescues and shelters so you know it will reach the pets in a timely manner. I was told the biggest need right now is cat litter. This might be the best was to help displaced pets rather then calling around to find out who needs what. Petsmart will make the propper deliveries to the right places based on need. It would be a shame to drop 50lbs of dog food of to a place that has plenty and the shelter down the road has none.

There are folks asking for help with horses as well.  Many were let loose to fend for themselves and some injured.  Horse stuff is in need as well.

Edited November 30, 2016 by Garufa

[LI0NSFAN]

There are folks asking for help with horses as well.  Many were let loose to fend for themselves and some injured.  Horse stuff is in need as well.

Petsmart will take ANY pet related donations. Just bring it into your local Petsmart and they will get it where it is needed.

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[btq96r]

This is a tragedy all around.  So much cultural and economic property damaged to put into perspective at the moment.  Like others probably have, there are some great memories of time spent in the area in my mind.  I was even considering a trip up there in December if I don't have a job lined up early enough after graduation.

I hope that anyone affected by all this is okay after.  Rebuilding will be a chore for sure, and too often, people never get all the recompense they thought they were supposed to from insurance companies.

Also, I can't say enough about those putting themselves in harms way to fight the fires, or help evacuate people in the danger zones.  Suiting up and heading into those blazes is work done by men who have balls that clank. 

[bud]

.

Edited April 26, 2017 by bud

[luvmyberetta]

We got a call today from a cousin who had a condo above Gatlinburg & lost everything in the fires. Everything was insured & will be replaced, but it looks like it will be a slow process,

At our weekly Boy Scout meeting tonight, one of the mothers said they were about 75% into construction of a vacation house in the Gatlinburg area & just found out it burned to the ground today. The worst part is they had no insurance because inspections & construction wasn't complete yet.

[peejman]

10 hours ago, luvmyberetta said:

We got a call today from a cousin who had a condo above Gatlinburg & lost everything in the fires. Everything was insured & will be replaced, but it looks like it will be a slow process,

At our weekly Boy Scout meeting tonight, one of the mothers said they were about 75% into construction of a vacation house in the Gatlinburg area & just found out it burned to the ground today. The worst part is they had no insurance because inspections & construction wasn't complete yet.

It's possible the construction might be covered under their existing homeowners, assuming they informed their policy holder of the construction in process. 

[E4 No More]

10 hours ago, luvmyberetta said:

We got a call today from a cousin who had a condo above Gatlinburg & lost everything in the fires. Everything was insured & will be replaced, but it looks like it will be a slow process,

At our weekly Boy Scout meeting tonight, one of the mothers said they were about 75% into construction of a vacation house in the Gatlinburg area & just found out it burned to the ground today. The worst part is they had no insurance because inspections & construction wasn't complete yet.

I would think that the contractor's insurance covers that until closing.

[monkeylizard]

Maybe. Some builders don't carry an insurance policy to cover the structure, only injury liability, tools, materials, etc. I don't know what (if any) TN requires builders to carry.

[E4 No More]

4 minutes ago, monkeylizard said:

Maybe. Some builders don't carry an insurance policy to cover the structure, only injury liability, tools, materials, etc. I don't know what (if any) TN requires builders to carry.

Yes, but unless they are funding the construction themselves the building is not "theirs" until closed.