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National Park issues updated report on Chimney Tops wildfire; 7 fatalities, 700 structures lost
NOVEMBER 30, 2016 at 7:22 p.m.
GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK — The Chimney Tops 2 Fire was reported in Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Gatlinburg, TN on Wednesday, November 23, 2016 at approximately 5:20 p.m. The wildfire began burning in a remote location (Chimney Tops) of the park in steep terrain with vertical cliffs and narrow rocky ridges making access to the wildfire area difficult for firefighting efforts. On Monday, November 27, continuous exceptional drought conditions and extreme winds caused the wildfire to grow rapidly, causing numerous new wildfire starts from embers carried miles away and downed power lines in and adjacent to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The wildfire was determined to be human-caused and is currently under investigation.
To date, there are 7 confirmed fatalities and 700 confirmed structures lost (300 in Gatlinburg, 400 in other parts of Sevier County).
The Southern Area Red Team assumed command of the Chimney Tops 2 Fire today, Wednesday, November 30th, 2016 at 8:00 a.m. The Red Team, the Type 3 Grey Incident Management Team from Colorado, and other firefighters and equipment are on site.
Chimney Tops 2 Fire is currently burning in brush, hardwood slash, and leaf litter. Fire crews are working to assess fire damage and coordinate with local resources to provide structure protection.
According to the park’s Fire Behavior Analyst, the area around the Chimney 2 Fire received rainfall today ranging from 1.2 to 1.7 as of 3:30 pm. The same area has been experiencing drought that has persisted over the past four months. Knoxville has received only 2.24” of rain over past 100 days; 13.48 is normal for same period. The rainfall received today will only last for 1 to 2 days due to prolong drought. Fire activity will increase until significant rainfall is received over several days. Indices used to predict fire danger were at or approaching all-time highs before the rainfall. These indices will start to move back towards the same level as before the fire over next couple days if no rainfall is received.” This means the rain we received may have slowed this fire for a day or two at a critical time, but the threat from this fire is still there.
So far, 15,653 acres in the national park have burned with only a 10% containment.
Incident resources include 9 crews, 22 engines, 7 helicopters, 4 dozers, and 285 total personnel.
Temperatures are expected to decrease as the week progresses, with afternoon highs reaching the 50s and 60s. Relative humidity is predicted to increase; however gusty winds may still contribute to active fire behavior.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park and trails are closed from the Gatlinburg entrance along Highway 441 to Smokemont, near Cherokee, North Carolina. Cades Cove and Oconoluftee Visitor Centers of Great Smoky Mountains National Park have reopened today.
A mandatory evacuation is still in effect for most of the City of Gatlinburg.
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• Two Tennessee juveniles charged in connection with Sevier County wildfires
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Published November 30, 2016 |
