I know this hill engulfed in flames. Not only is there little between the hill and the Ripley's aquarium, the hill is covered with dozens of houses.
As a disaster unfolded tonight in Gatlinburg TN, during prime time no less, the MSM was all Trump, or OSU.
If you didn’t see it on Facebook or Twitter, you may not have even known that Gatlinburg is burning tonight. The city and many nearby locations are under mandatory evacuation and the National Guard has been activated. As you can see in the quoted statement below, the fire has already burned Gatlinburg’s tallest occupied building, the 16 story Park Vista Doubletree Hotel. It is a real tragedy happening right now to our fellow Americans. Where is the reporting?
From Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) advisory issued at 11pm Eastern time;
TEMA is asking residents in Sevier County to stay off mobile devices unless it is for emergency calls to prevent taxing the mobile system.
HIGHLIGHTS
• This is a special Flash Report providing information and updates on a significant and ongoing wildfire threat impacting the City of Gatlinburg, City of Pigeon Forge, and other parts of Sevier County this evening. • Evacuations are underway for Downtown Gatlinburg, and also Mynatt Park, Park Vista and Ski Mounty in Gatlinburg, and for the south part of Pigeon Forge close to Sevierville. The wildfire is also at the edge of the Dollywood property. • Sevier County and Gatlinburg officials have established a command center at Gatlinburg City Hall. • Local officials have ordered mandatory evacuations for Mynatt Park, Park Vista, and Ski Mountain. Evacuations have also been ordered for the north end of Pigeon Forge.
CURRENT SITUATION
Strong winds this afternoon (11/28/16) caused a wildland fire on Chimney Top Mountain, in the Smoky Mtn. National Park, to spread rapidly onto private property in the City of Gatlinburg, and in the City of Pigeon Forge.
Currently 30 structures are on fire in Gatlinburg, including a 16-story hotel on Regan Drive and the Driftwood Apartments reported fully-involved near the Park Vista Hotel.
Evacuations are underway for Downtown Gatlinburg, and also Mynatt Park, Park Vista and Ski Mounty in Gatlinburg, and for the south part of Pigeon Forge close to Sevierville. The wildfire is also at the edge of the Dollywood property.
Sevier County and Gatlinburg officials have established a command center at Gatlinburg City Hall.
Local officials have ordered mandatory evacuations for Mynatt Park, Park Vista, and Ski Mountain. Evacuations have also been ordered for the north end of Pigeon Forge.
State Hwy. 441 heading into Gatlinburg is closed, except for emergency traffic. State Hwy. 441 leaving Gatlinburg is open to evacuating traffic.
There are reports of downed power lines and trees, and reports of road closures.
9-1-1 communications centers in the area report being inundated with calls about the situation.
Green and Sevier County schools will be closed on Tuesday. Cocke County schools run two hours late.
There are no reports of fatalities. There is a report of a report a burn injury to a male evacuee. There is also a report of minor injuries due to a fire truck involved in an accident.
Sad to see the national media virtually ignore this tragedy this evening.
For ongoing updates, Twitter is the best bet for now, where this has several tags trending. Here is the top one… twitter.com/… Notice how many tweets are people tagging the MSM, asking why they’re not reporting.
•Update: CNN has a report buried on their US landing page with a 45 second clip of the fire.
•Update II (4:00am EST): Harrowing video from someone evacuating the fire.
And from the smoke filled lobby of the Park Vista Hotel. Flames can be seen just outside the windows.
•Update III (5:15am EST) — From Kossack MN MississippiWatcher, here’s a link to a livestream of ongoing local news coverage from WATE Channel 6 ABC. wate.com/...
• Update IV (12:45pm EST)— Thank you for the recs. First time on the Rec List in years!
As one would expect, the media has caught up to this tragedy more after the fact. Still disturbing that the region has been enduring a severe drought and repeated wildfires which risk life and property, and the national media is virtually silent on it.
It is very relieving to see that there has no reported loss of life, and just 4 people whose injuries required hospitalization. But with hundreds of structures damaged or destroyed, there will be a lot of families who need the help of the community. Keep an eye out for fundraisers in the coming days and please give what you can.
CNN has more coverage now. The link below includes several video clips of the scene. Also, right now at 12:50pm EST, they are reporting about it on air.
From CNN,
More than 100 structures in the city of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, have been damaged, Mayor Mike Warner said Tuesday morning. More than 150 other structures have been damaged or destroyed in other parts of Sevier County, county Mayor Larry Waters told reporters at a news conference.
Warner, the Gatlinburg mayor, says he believes that his house is among those lost.
"But things can be rebuilt. Our downtown's intact, and that's really great for our economy" and the city's future, Warner said. "We will rebuild, and we will remain the premier resort community that we are. ... It will be OK."
Here's what you need to know:
• At least four people have been hospitalized with burns, TEMA said.
• Rain fell Monday night, but it was too late and too little to prevent damage as the region also felt wind gusts in excess of 80 mph. "Even with the rain that is currently falling there, the fires continue to burn and structures remain engulfed with little hope that the rainfall will bring immediate relief," TEMA said Tuesday.
• Several homes and businesses in downtown Gatlinburg were "completely lost to fire," according to authorities. A report Tuesday morning from TEMA said hundreds of structures had been damaged or destroyed.
• Among the buildings destroyed in Gatlinburg are a 16-story hotel and an apartment complex, TEMA said.
• Other popular Gatlinburg attractions appeared under threat, including Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies, which has 1,500 animals. Staff were forced to evacuate Monday evening, and the animals still are inside, Ripley Entertainment Regional Manager Ryan DeSear told CNN Tuesday. DeSear said that according to reports he has received, the aquarium still is standing. The facility's webcam showed lights and power still working inside, but he's concerned about the deteriorating air quality, as well as the smoke and flames. DeSear said he's hoping some staff will be allowed back into the facility Tuesday to assess the damage.
•Update V (5:30pm EST) — Officials now confirm there is a death toll of 3, with possibly more to come as area roads are cleared and the hundreds of burned properties are searched. Due to the widespread damage and the ensuing potential for chaos, Gatlinburg is under curfew.
Alarmingly, there could be more fires tonight...
From CNN
Three people were killed in raging wildfires in Sevier County, Tennessee, and officials are bracing for the possibility of more blazes overnight.
Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller said Tuesday that the three people were killed in separate locations in the fires that started Monday. Miller told reporters he does not know whether there are more victims.
"We have not been able to get into all the areas," the chief said.
The wildfires have damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings in and near eastern Tennessee's resort towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge in a dizzying 24 hours, officials said.
"People were basically running for their lives," Gatlinburg Mayor Mike Werner, who apparently lost his home to wildfires, said in describing the scene in his resort city.
Officials said they are not certain when residents will be able to return to evacuated neighborhoods. A curfew was imposed for 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• • • • •
Here is the main fundraiser being shared around by the local middle TN media. Is it for a local org.
There are also numerous fundraisers running on GoFundMe now. Some for specific families who lost their home, and others for communitywide efforts. Please share, and let’s help get these people help when they need it!
And here is information on Gatlinburg wildlife relief.
