How did a one-acre fire on the Chimney Tops trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park transform into a massive firestorm? Take an inside look at the events leading up to the November 2016 Gatlinburg wildfires that claimed 14 lives. Angela Gosnell/News Sentinel
Poor communication by Great Smoky Mountains National Park rangers with Gatlinburg authorities undermined the initial response to last year's deadly wildfire and cost lives, a report released today found.
"Insufficient warning by (the park) contributed to a dramatically reduced
time frame to conduct needed evacuations," the report concluded.
The 164-page report by ABS Consulting examined the response by Gatlinburg and Sevier County agencies to the Nov. 28, 2016, wildfire after the flames left the park, where the fire had begun five days earlier. The findings come after more than a year of questions from residents who want to know why the fire wasn't stopped before it reached the city and why they weren't told to evacuate sooner.
The report found local police and firefighters "performed as trained" and did their jobs "to the best of their ability" but weren't prepared to deal with such obstacles as an overloaded emergency communications system, repeated power failures and out-of-control flames on all fronts. A lack of early notice from the park appeared to be the most critical failure, according to the report.
The park "contacted (Gatlinburg fire crews) only after (firefighters) had initiated inquiries," the report found.
Park officials have received the report but haven't finished reviewing it, spokeswoman Dana Soehn said.
"As we understand it, this review focused on the city's and county's response to the fire outside the park," Superintendent Cassius Cash said in a statement. "We look forward to reading it and to addressing the challenges as we move forward together."
Early attempts to fend off the fire focused on a single portion of the city - Mynatt Park and surrounding neighborhoods in the southeast corner - and failed to account for a potential threat to Chalet Village and other communities to the southwest. Park officials initially recommended only a voluntary evacuation of those communities.
The fire ultimately grew and shifted course to fold around the city on both sides, with the western half of town undefended. Most of those who died were on that side of town, just outside the city limits.
A similar review by the National Park Service examined park rangers' response to the fire in the initial days. That review found inaction and a failure to see the true danger led to a response that was too little, too late.
The blaze began the day before Thanksgiving 2016 when Greg Salansky, the park's fire management officer, spotted smoke coming from the Chimney Tops peaks at the tail end of one of the driest fire seasons. He initially chose to try to contain the fire rather than fight it, despite forecasts by the National Weather Service that warned of high winds and "critically dry" conditions.
City and county officials learned at 12:30 p.m. the fire was a mile-and-a-half from Gatlinburg. By 6 p.m., winds topped 60 mph - maybe cracked triple digits by some accounts - and sent the flames roaring through town.
Police and firefighters raced from door to door to evacuate homes, but the fire outran them. Flames in some places forced fire crews into retreat, and some hydrants ran dry due to lack of water pressure. Fourteen people died that night, and more than 2,500 homes and businesses suffered damage, with some burned to the foundations.
The wind finally died down around 2 a.m. as rain began to douse the flames.
Authorities ultimately charged two teenage boys from Anderson County with starting the fire by playing with matches. State prosecutors dropped the case, and federal prosecutors have given no public sign of pursuing charges.
City and county officials refused to release records on the fire for months, citing the Juvenile Court case against the boys, but finally complied after the case was dropped.