Fire On The Mountain: Fire Destroys a Smoky Mountain Resort Town

[smahala1991]

(Warning: Some images and content may be sensitive to some readers. Discretion is advised.)

Two Weeks ago the Smoky Mountain Resort Town of Gatlinburg,Tennessee was almost completely destroyed by wildfire.14 people dead, several hundered businesses and houses are gone, Wildlife creatures perished, and tens of thousands of acres destroyed. So far two juveniles were arrested and are now waiting on Federal and State charges to be filed. But before I show pictures of the damage allow me to give a little backstory.

The fires had been burning all over the South for weeks. Not all of them are from one source. But, they do have some things in common. The Southern States of Alabama,Georgia,Tennessee,North and South Carolina are all under extreme drought conditions still to this day. Dry conditions along with lightning and accidental man made fires that spreaded such as campfires started the wildfires in some parts of the Appalachians. These states imposed burn bans in many counties. One of the worst fires was on South Mountain and Party Rock( Not to be confused with the LMFAO song) in Western North Carolina. The smoke from these wildfires were making air quality unbearable for many. Even in major areas like Atlanta, Charlotte, Greensboro, Nashville, and Birmingham. Smoke could literally be seen from the skylines of these cities. One man was arrested for starting those fires and is awaiting Federal Charges. When asked by police for his motive, the man was remorseless when he said he did it out of boredom.

This is sattelite imagery from November 14th 2016 taken from Sattelites from NASA.

On November 29th A gust of 90-100 mile per hour winds swept through the mountains had spread the flames into the residential, business, and time share properties of Gatlinburg Tennessee. 15,000 people evacuated their houses,cabins and hotel rooms to flee the fires. Gatlinburg and the Smokies are a very popular tourist destination this time of year as Christmas Displays,shows,and the Dollywood Themepark attract tourists. Firefighters from all over Tennessee,NC,GA and all states came to help fight the fires. Sadly 14 people lost their lives in the fires including elderly and children. Hundreds if not thousands were left homeless. Several people were taken to nearby hosptals in Knoxville. Survivors and firefighters literally described it as "Apoctolyptic" "Hell on earth" and "Like the city had been bombed".One of the biggest concerns was the marine life at Ripley's Aquarium of The Smokies. It was later revealed all marine life was safe and the aquairium was intact.

Here are some photos of the fire.

A wedding chapel destroyed

A popular Gatlinburg restraunt destroyed

Automobiles burned

On the Bright side The Smoky Mountains are reopen and welcoming tourists once again. Dolly Parton is giving homeless families $1000 a month to help victims with expenses. Celebs such as Taylor Swift, Cyndi Lauper, Henry Cho, and others have cooperated with Dolly Parton to do a telethon in the future to raise money for the Smoky Mountain Relief Fund which Dolly Parton is the head of. Millions have already been raised by agencies such as the American Red Cross. The Red Cross has been under a lot of controversy in the area due to the fact that ARC donations are being used to help with other projects and not just the Smoky Mountain Wildfires. Toy drives, clothing drives, food drives, and Christmas Drives have been started throughout Tennessee,Virginia,The Carolinas and Georgia to donate goods to those who need them in the Mountains. Its an area I visited a lot growing up. My Cousin owned a motel in Gatlinburg. For two summers I stayed with him and his family in the Smokies. I am glad to see that people are helping out and the town is getting bac on its feet.

#SmokyMountainStrong

#Gatlinburg

[SensualScribe]

I have been there 4 times over the past 8 years. It is the last place my parents and I vacationed before they passed away and where my sister and I spread their ashes. I have countless memories there. The last time I was there was in July with my entire family (grandfather, aunts, uncles and cousins). We stayed in a huge cabin. The cabin did not make it through the fire. The people there are absolutely wonderful and made this town feel like home to me. I could not watch the footage without crying. So devastating. I cannot imagine what they must be going through. The town looks apocalyptic now.

[AleDeEurope]

This is so sad. It'll take a long time for this place to go back to how it was. I just hope everyone can find a way to get back on their feet and try to regain their happiness during this Christmas season... and I hope those who caused all this pay for it.

P. S.: It's even more sad when people are happy about this... :(

[vishna]

On campus, the air was thick with smoke for days and students were advised to not exercise a lot because we could pass out, and the fire was so many miles away. To think that people died, lost their homes, their businesses, all that nature was destroyed because of human malice... disgusting.

[madhatters4]

if these teens were bored they could've sat in their driveway with a magnifying glass and set some leaves on fire like my brother and i used to do... i'll be interested to see what kind of punishment these kids get

[smahala1991]

Some people are wanting the Death Penalty for it, but I dont see that happening

[madhatters4]

i don't think that's all that necessary. but a long prison sentence would suit. OR some sort of very creative sentencing which i'm always in favor of.

[NearlyNapping]

That's sad when a historical place like Gatlinburg is destroyed. I've never been there but always wanted to go. I always liked that kind of stuff. I've been through that area several times, but not to Gatlinburg.

Hopefully they'll rebuild, but it's going to take a while. It seems like places are never quite the same when they rebuild. That's because they get in too much hurry to get something built and don't plan it well.

[SarahsSummer]

so sad. Was it 2 kids playing with fire that caused it?

[smahala1991]

Yes playing with matches

[SarahsSummer]

Heartbreaking. 💔

[UnknownReflection]

One ignorant action cause such a terrible tragedy.
I'm happy to see it's changing to the positive direction to avoid further damage.

R. I. P those who we lost during this incident.

[CheerGirl38139]

I tried to write a take on this, and couldn't finish it. I cried everytime I started typing.

Thank you for doing it.

[Waffles731]

I honestly want to know what on earth those kids were doing that set off these fires

[smahala1991]

Playing with matches they were 15 and 17

[Waffles731]

So they destroyed an entire town because they were bored?

[smahala1991]

And being reckless because remember there were dry conditions and no rain. Plus other fires haf occurred in the same areas nearby. But different sources and different people set them too. More or less copycat crime

[Robin48]

Teenagers were not playing with matches. The did it on purpose. The evil in them. No respect for their self or others. No respect for nature, wildlife. No respect for God. The Great Smokey Mountains play a big role in my families in the past and my family now. As a young boy I climb those mountains with cousins.

[Dargil]

Live near and infrequent visitir ans passer through. Terrible tragedy. Intentional arson.

[LoveHorses]

Blame it on climate change/ global warming. Our climate is getting crazy. It's unheard of a fire buring at this time of the year.

[Other_Tommy_Wiseau]

I'm surprised no one posted this song...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Y5xjtNltJA

[SuicidalTeen]

Now burn the rest of the world, nuke everything, get in some cryogenic pods in a vault, nuke us some more, and boom. Fallout

[Darkone1]

Ever year shit like this happen.

[ginny_weasley]

Terrible what happened.

[SnowHearth]

out of boredom, damnned one!

[lumberman9]

That's such a shame wow

[RicanEyes]

Sad story

[babeeeone]

That's terrible