Two months after the deadliest fire in Tennessee history, NewsChannel 5 goes back to Sevier County for another look at the damage, and to see how residents are recovering.
our heart goes out to Mr. Vance on losing his beautiful bride of 60 years We cried tears for his most treasured love, his wife I have had my most important ppwork in a fireproof safe for years
I'm a Sevierville local, and going through that was terrifying. I remember seeing the glow over my backyard, packing a bag and getting ready to leave. The streets closest had already been evacuated. Luckily, the rain stopped it before it got us. Everytime we see smoke we panic now. It's wild, just how much this effects people.
We lost our retirement home down to ashes. Dec.2018 the new one was finished and what a wonderful Christmas Blessing. To this very day there is a lit candle in the evenings for the 14 lives lost.
My heart absolutely broke listening to Mr Vance recount his story that night. He lost his best friend of over 60 years. It was such a terrible tragedy that I don't think anyone is to blame for not evacuating early enough. Was truly a perfect storm that night. I hate how the news focuses on that crap. Focus on the rebuild and positives that can now be taken from it
I was there in December of 2018 and it is still as beautiful as before it will always be beautiful and god bless the people who had to suffer in the fire I will pray for the families may god bless them
I live about 45 minutes to an hour from Gatlinburg, I remember that whole month, there was a wildfire in Walland just before this fire started, I remember walking to class in my sophomore year of high school outside in the haze of the smoke and the smell that everyone immediately recognized, even being all the way across the county from the fire we could see the huge clouds of smoke and smell it as if it was behind the school. Me and my mom even drove up to the mountains to see how bad the fire was, the whole mountain behind the fire department was engulfed in smoke and flames, we even watched a Blackhawk helicopter refill its water bucket at Perry's Mill, I'll remember those months and those smells for the rest of my life
We used to go every summer to these cabins 8:40 it was such a beautiful place...its a shame the amount of loss that has happened both life wise & nature wise
First of, my heart goes out to everyone affected by the fire in any way. I was there that night. I am in no way an expert on any of this, I’m not a meteorologist, fire expert, I’m just someone who wants to state a few things the way I saw them that night. My wife and I were in Gatlinburg fo our delayed honeymoon. We arrived at the BlueGreen Resort off of Hy 321, about 1/2 to 1 mile from the heart of Gatlinburg. When we got up on the 25, there was a coating of ash on my wife’s SUV in the parking lot. We heard there was a fire in the Smokey’s somewhere. The next day, we went out, and there definitely was smoke in the air, and on the 27th, all of the stores were closed in Gatlinburg due to the amount of smoke in the air. I knew then there could be a problem, so I started paying more attention to the news. On the evening of the 28th, the night of the fire, we were going to the opening of the Christmas show in Pigeon Forge, as my wife had bought tickets months earlier online. It was VERY smokey, and the winds were very strong. One on the things that might have saved us, was the fact a tree had blown down in the driveway heading out of the resort. It blocked the road for about an hour while they got the equipment out and started clearing the road. This delayed us to the show, and when we cleared the tunnel heading to Pigeon Forge, about 1/2 a mile down the road, we saw the entire mountain on out right on fire all the way to the white line on the side of the road. I told my wife we were turning around as soon as possible, an at the first chance we did. I saw in the mirror, a police officer closed the road right behind me. I knew an evacuation was eminent, but being from Lynchburg TN, I did not know which road would be open or closed. I backed our SUV in the parking space, and loaded everything we had into it. All we had was the clothes on our back and our meds. I filled the tub with water, and threw in the towels. ( I have to go to a doc appointment and will finish when I get back)
Just returned from our trip to Gatlinburg 2019 , may I say that this pizzeria is the Best and Most Reliable Delivery service and amazing food !! God is replacing His forest now and the people of Gatlinburg are the friendliest folks in the South . We live and we learn , we continue to grieve with the families of the Lost , we continue to move forward with the Gatlinburg folks because we live in Alabama , Gatlinburg has been on our vacation list since we married in 1987 and spent our Honeymoon there . We have always stayed on ski mountain as we just did and the rebuilding is going great !! Go See The New Gatlinburg !! You will fall Back in love !!
I was in Tennessee last month with my son & daughter-in-law & grandson for vacation & in & around Gatlinburg I could still see signs of where the fire had traveled. My first time in pidgin forge/ gaitlinburg area & it’s amazing the beauty & how it’s grown back in 6 years
Well, I live in TN. I live about a hour or two away, the deadliest in tennessee history, caused by two teens! Pray for the families of the 14 people that died.
It sickens me that those kids got nothing more than a slap on the wrist. This whole justice system is screwed up in the head. Just a side note that if that was one of my kids they wouldn’t be able to still sit to this day. I’d want the courts to prosecute if they were my kids. They knew it it was dry and those kids didn’t need any matches. Just sad so many lives were taking over two stupid kids.
I lived in Knoxville at that time and remembering smelling the smoke and the air bring thick and hazardous. Then when I seen the news with them showing the wildfires in Gatlinburg, I broke down and started crying and prior to that I had plans to go to Dollywood but they shut down everything because of the evacuations and so forth
@@christianblackmtlrlz I second that motion?! All the destruction & lives lost because of a couple dumb asses who had no regulars to their actions!! Simply sad 😞 where were their heads at dealing with these delinquents betcha they moved out the area fast
You can think the National Park Service. Even after receiving reports of high winds, nobody supervised the Chimney 2 fire the night before the firestorm. By the morning the fire had jumped lines to Chimney picnic area and Bullhead Ridge. By that afternoon fire had spread to Twin Creeks and Mynatt Park.
I did iaclean up with my high school 3 years after this happened there are still burnt trees standing. It was sad to see all the old home structures just sitting there. After we cleaned we went to a pool area and they said all there water was boiled and evaporated from the heat of the fire.
We and others seemed to flood the area. Just got back and there was so many people that the traffic wasn’t even moving. I wasn’t even upset because it shows the area is healthy.
I am from napa, and we had the wildfires last year in October. Many people were not warned as well, and were forced to evacuate on their own. I feel like we need better emergency notification systems because in some places, the fire hit in the early morning hours. People would wake up to their houses on fire or the fire right next to them. There needs to be a better way to inform people. Like program TVs so that when there is an emergency, it turns on, and makes a screech or siren noise that way if it is dead in the middle of the night then it wakes people up.
Do not rely on any outside authority when deciding to evacuate. Weather, fire, flood, whatever it may be when you get that gut feeling to get out, or when in doubt... get the hell out. The Lord be with these folks.
Yes, you are responsible for evacuating yourself. Do not depend on anyone, especially, local government. You can depend on local government to do one thing; send your property tax bill months before it is due.
@@LittleLulubee : Let me try to explain this complicated and difficult process to you: 1. Your local taxing authority often will SEND you your property tax bill, several months before it is due. 2. The savvy property owner will remit payment, approximately four (4) to six (6) days, before the due date.
I live here... and it was bad really really bad the truck was on fire only car we had to get out was a drag car a 88 trasnam I built in high school 502 big block we had to drive threw the fire it was all over the place the house the yard across the street. If it wasn't for having that dragster we wouldn't be here I don't think. .. it was so hot the plastic bumpers on the trasnam was melted by the time we got off...
It makes me sick the people that were never alerted of the fire even though people called saying the fire is here burning my home!! No your not being evacuated they say. Makes me sick. Hope they have new officials running that town!
Heather Dawn Arvin they should take notes on how california does evacuations with the reverse 911 systems and preventative evacuations, they evacuate anyone and everyone who could possibly be in the way of the fire so that there's no one in the way and if the fire changes directions theres nobody in the way and they can dedicate all the resources they have to suppression.
Heather Dawn Arvin I have friends that live in Sevierville and Gatlinburg. The fire was a perfect storm, the communication towers burnt down and the high winds made it move faster then anyone thought . Don’t blame the city for it
Looking back at this from 2023... how interesting: - High winds happen to match important fire - Winds happen to go in the direction of a town - Late or non-existent evacuation warnings - Strange legal wars between responsible officers - A level of devastation that compromises who will own that land in the future Keep watch people.
They knew. The Weather services, NOAA, etc. warned them the winds were coming. RIP to Constance Reed and her 2 daughters. Mike, if you read this..I pray for you all of the time.
Reminds me of how California won't burn off underbrush in some of their forests. Could have this been prevented? I'm most certainly sure it could have been or at least lessened. My heart goes out to those who were lost in the fire as well as those who lost material possessions in it.
It's absolutely hilarious to read on here how trees and shrubs, bushes didn't burn. If you look at the video, they clearly did burn almost as if they were on fire.... Imagine that!! Also the area is home to many, many species of trees, a lot of them hardwood trees which do not burn the same way as softwood trees do. Conifer trees have a vertical ladder fuel arrangement which allows flame heights of 40 feet or more. I see here a lot of broad leaf trees which would support intense ground fires at the right time of the year. Especially in the spring and fall.
All those deaths and destruction caused by 2 teenagers playing with matches. They were caught on a GoPro camera by a hiker in the area where the fire started and they were playing with matches. And still they were allowed to escape justice. Sad.
Even to this day I can’t believe those who started it got off free. No jail time nothing. I lost a family friend in those fires. I been going to Gatlinburg for 29 years sometimes it’s 3-4 times a year. We always gone at least 1 week of the year. My parents are timeshare owners of treetops they been going 50+ years. I feel like the locals. Even today it’s not the same. I remember coming back and seeing the devastation. Homes burn down to the ground. Tree tops was gone basically. Homes that I seen every time that was basically land markers is gone. I remember watching it on tv too. Those kids should have been charged for something. They burn a bush in the smoky mountains park. They should be responsible for all 16 deaths. My heart still goes out to the families that lost a loved one. I just hope that there will never be a fire that bad in what I consider my home town.
Not to mention the businesses that burnt along with the cabins and chalets, I saw on River Road where a large hotel was completely destroyed by the fire, it nearly got Ripley's Aquariam as well
I ended our vacation to Gatlinburg 3 days before this happened bc the smoke & fire embers were so close to our Chalet! So devastating! The city should have evacuated the entire town days before this event occurred! There should have never been one single death bc there were hundreds of warning signs before & thats why we used common sense & just ended our vacation early. Prayers to the families of those that lost their lives & to those that lost their personal items 🙏
A match box ready to go up in smoke ,all it take is one reckless person leaving a pot on that gas stove and fall asleep ,cabins too close together ,one goes all goes.
No way .not even kind of close to the destruction of katrina. Not even close ...... I know it was horrible . and i love the smoky mts been there 17 times . and im not down playing what happend in the smokys . but katrina swallowed florida Alabama Mississippi Louisiana and texas .just saying.it was still very horrible. God bless the people of Gatlinburg Tennessee.
Furthermore, those who wantonly wish to angrily argue, dispute - disagree and debate these thoughtful decisions, we have let them go to the waysides and washed away and withered wayward. Facing flash floods and ferocious flaming forests fires. Nobody in their right minds are going to come and rescue them; inclusively, firefighters. They’re on their own, based upon what decisions and choices themselves made, thus to stay or leave. Voluntarily vacate - evacuate. No more meaningless mandatory; “forced evacuations”!!!
I was nearby to where the fire spread to...those teens got off with nothing...they should've been charge for each death as well as PURPOSEFULLY starting the fire...u don't just accidently THROW a match...it was 100% deliberate...and they got away with murder as far as I'm concerned...no accident about it
Edgar Vazquez the teens started the fire in the park. It’s not what caused everything else to burn down though. You’re only seeing what the media is showing . I live in Gatlinburg. Houses burned well outside the park and not from the teens
Not to the people and communities directly affected. To them it was the worst. We shouldn't diminish it by comparing it to another tragedy. Each tragedy is different - in its magnitude, in its impact.
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while i get the emotional stuff people have for the town, and the townspeople there, the hardship and stuff the town has been going through since that fateful day, the people gotta understand something. was the teens involved PROVEN to have caused intent to start a fire? you heard the man who said that something like the Galtlinburg fire was bound to happen due to the fact it was always burning before 1934 and that all the fuel sitting on the mountain was actually gonna end up burning anyways. the fuel ranges from leaves to pine needles, to leftover debris from a storm and all those things are flammable, meaning as the decades went by without a good forest fire, the fuel kept being piled up. if anything what those teens did was, and i don't mean to sound heartless here, was teach those people up there a lesson to prepare for the worst while at the same time letting the fuel that kept piling up over the decades, actually burn. as a fellow Tennessan, that fire couldn't be prevented, there was simply no way to prevent it, and much like the new madrid faultline that runs along the Mississippi and along Tennessees western border with Arkansas in some places, its easy to prepare, hard to clean up the mess. logic should dictate what the people can do moving forward, are they gonna prepare in advance by having some fireproof safes to keep important papers in and have some hotels and resorts literally have more fireproof rooms and amendities available, or will the people of Galtlinburg Tennessee rebuild and don't do much to prepare in case the next wildfire hits? we shall see in 9 years on the 10th anniversary of the fire. note: i actually went to pigeon forge and galtlinburg tennessee as a child, me dad and grandma all three of us stayed at a hotel in pigeon forge and drove to galtlinburg tennessee. i even have some of the old tokens from when me and my dad and grandmother went to the "ripleys believe it or not" place in galtlinburg.
Kermit Peck, yes, it was proven the teens started the fire. However, everyone involved with working that case is under a gag order. I lost my sister and brother-in-law in that fire, my 3 nephews were able to get out but suffered severe burns. The conditions were indeed "perfect" for a fire, however, pictures of the two boys playing with matches was captured by a hiker and turned into authorities. I don't wish anything horrible to happen to the teens, however they do need to have some sort of consequences for their irresponsible actions. I guess we'll never know if they will face any consequences since the gag order is in place.
Linda I am sorry for you losses. The Smokeys TN side is my favorite place in America and I grieved into lupus flare when this tragedy happenrd... my livelihood is in the Smokeys. I use to vacation twice a year been been sick the last 8 years:(
2018 December Why had preventative fires not been done. I would think your fire departments would have done that. I saw something later that there had not been ANY preventative burning done in years . That's just stupid. Lives were lost. I don't think I ever want to be in Gatlinburg again. Y'all didn't give your residents any warning. How could you do that. I watched the videos. I don't understand why anyone would even want to live there. Pitiful, even now. You don't deserve to be be anyone come there. It's all on your Mayor, the fire department. Also, a video showed FEMA trailers there even before the fires. A
