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Oak Ridge National Laboratory responded to Gatlinburg fires

Posted at 1:28 pm December 28, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

oak-ridge-national-laboratory-fire-department-in-gatlinburg-incident-command-center-november-2016

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Fire Department Chief Officers Daron Long, Larry Lewis, and Danny Parker (in navy polo shirts) are pictured above in the Incident Command Center. (Photo by ORNL)

 

By U.S. Department of Energy

The Great Smoky Mountains, which are normally wet and hazy, had been in a particularly prolonged drought when a fire started near a popular lookout several miles from the resort town of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, just before Thanksgiving. Park officials warily watched the slowly spreading blaze, which was in nearly vertical and mostly unreachable terrain.

At the close of the holiday weekend, a weather system moved in, whipping up gale-force winds hours ahead of the rain. The wind supercharged the fire, driving eerie, thick smoke down the basin toward the town. By Monday night, the homes, resorts, and businesses surrounding Gatlinburg were in the middle of a firestorm as flames destroyed structure after structure. Downed power lines sparked separate fires.

On the evening of November 28, park and city officials reached out to firefighters in the region for support as flames engulfed entire neighborhoods. By the time quenching rains arrived, the 17,000-acre forest fire had burned 1,700 structures—many of them homes—and took 14 lives.

Firefighters from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, located about 50 miles away, were among those who answered the call. With an immediate go-ahead from the ORNL Site Office, the ORNL Fire Department, or ORNLFD, dispatched resources to assist responders in Gatlinburg and neighboring Pigeon Forge. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Brian Johnson, Danny Parker, Daron Keesee, Daron Long, David King, Dennis Brock, Doug Eckard, forest fire, Gary Watlington, Gatlinburg, Gatlinburg fires, Great Smoky Mountains, Jeff Chambers, Larry Lewis, Mandy Lindwall, Maria McClelland, Mike Masters, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Fire Department, ORNL, ORNL Site Office, ORNLFD, Pigeon Forge, Randy Williams, Ryan Hargis, Shelia Hillard, Tony Bloyd, U.S. Department of Energy

Gatlinburg fires: Andersonville fire chief describes elevator rescue, driving through ‘gates of hell’

Posted at 12:50 pm December 26, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

burrell-andersonville-fire-department-westgate-lodging-gatlinburg-nov-28-2016

The Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department helped rescue two people trapped in an elevator in a burning building at Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort, pictured above, in Gatlinburg during the wildfires on Monday, Nov. 28, 2016. (Photo via Roane State Community College)

 

Editor’s note: Many fire departments and emergency workers responded to help fight the wildfires and perform search and rescue during the deadly forest fires that burned areas around Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge on Monday, November 28. Here are stories from two Anderson County rescuers who responded to the Gatlinburg fires, as reported by Roane State Community College.

‘We made our way through what looked like the gates of hell’

By Matthew R. Burrell

On the night of Monday, November 28, various Anderson County fire departments were asked to respond on mutual aid calls to the City of Gatlinburg. Of those departments, Andersonville responded with a crew of three and one pumper.

Once we arrived at the meeting point, we were sent to Pittman Center for staging. On our way to our assigned location, there were many thoughts of the unknown. We were bouncing several scenarios off of each other—from “what are we going to do to pass time if all we do is sit in the parking lot,” to how crazy it could possibly be and what we might encounter.

When we first responded, I made contact with the Gatlinburg Fire Department chief, and the intensity in his voice told me that it was bad. But once we hit the spur, we realized just how bad it was. We made our way through what looked like the gates of hell and then entered the city. There was a constant orange glow everywhere you looked. We were amazed at the devastation and at how many buildings were on fire. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Andersonville, Front Page News, Gatlinburg, Police and Fire, Police and Fire, Slider Tagged With: Anderson County fire departments, Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department, Austin Vick, Chimney Tops trail, elevator rescue, forest fires, Gatlinburg, Gatlinburg Fire Department, Gatlinburg fires, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, James May, LeConte Medical Center, Lonnie Poore, Matthew R. Burrell, Matthew Wilson, Pigeon Forge, Roane State Community College, Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort, wildfires

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Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

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Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

Public notice: Draft environmental assessment for Y-12 Development Organization at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

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