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Wind-fueled wildfires swept across Sevier County in 2016 claiming lives, homes and livelihoods forever changing the landscape of Gatlinburg and the Smokies. Sevier County dispatch told WVLT News that there was a two-mile evacuation from Parkside Resort near Little Cove Road and Pine Mountain Road. She told the dispatcher, The fire is next door to my house My husband is not home. Jon Summers, 61, and Janet Summers, 61, were from Memphis, Tennessee. He also confirmed that less than 10 people stayed the night Thursday at the Pigeon Forge Community Shelter. This fire could have been much more devastating had we not had this team in place, he said. The fire in Indigo is looking very good.. The brothers carry their work uniforms as a reminder of how far theyve come since that night. An evacuation was ordered for anyone within two miles from Parkside Resort in Pigeon Forge due to a fast-moving brush fire. Two more squads of two helicopters were scheduled to leave the base at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m., Haas said. Updated: Mar 2, 2023 / 09:10 AM EST. Firefighting efforts fully contained thefire by April 5. A Type 2 Incident Management Team, the Southern Area Gold Team, has been mobilized. "Road closures may occur earlier than expected and additional roads may close as conditions warrant. I'm just really hoping everybody came off the mountain.. When the fire spread throughout Sevier County, more firefighters were brought in than ever before to start evacuating certain areas, according to Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller. After working full time in wildland fire for 33 years, he continues to learn, and strives to be a Student of Fire. He told her to contact 911. Meanwhile, you could see the fire still glowing behind Pine Mountain in Wears Valley on Wednesday evening. Courthouse in Greeneville that is expected to last ten days. He wrote, Looking West just now from Gatlinburg Golf course (in Pigeon Forge). A temporary shelter is set up at the Pigeon Forge Community Center at 170 Community Center Drive. Knox County Rescue crews were headed to Sevier County Saturday morning to assist in several capacities, including working in the EOC & an Incident Command Sub-Section, performing field damage assessment and search. Wears Valley Road and Waldens Creek Road reopened according to officials with the Sevier County Emergency Management Agency. The area is home to rental cabins with some permanent residences. Seymours shelter was closed, Mayor Waters said. Flames erupted in a remote area with steep terrain that made access to the fire difficult for firefighters. We are confident we have this fire in good check, he said. Helicopters have been dropping water on the fire since early Thursday morning. Massive Wildfire Engulfs Tennessee Resort Towns Residents can go to the Gatlinburg Convention Center or Pigeon Forge Community Center. The Park closed some roads on Wednesday due to the prediction, they said, for sustained winds between 40 to 50 mph with gusts up to 90 mph. in Pigeon Forge At 5:15 p.m. around 30 mph. Despite these challenges, we sent police fire and mass transit to evacuate citizens and visitors, said Miller. Just a few hours prior to the commercial structure fire, at 6:59 p.m. on Officials with the Knoxville Fire Department confirmed that they would remain in Sevier County throughout the night, and likely into Saturday as well Friday afternoon. Marlow Volunteer Fire Department and other crewsrespondedto the30-acre fire in the area, and residents were asked to remain alert to the "evolving situation.". Guests staying in Sevier County's park vista hotel described being trapped inside by wildfires that raged in 2016, Power outages reported across the region following severe storms, Kentucky State Police investigating Floyd County death, Restrictions on vehicles restoring power and clearing debris temporarily lifted, Governor Andy Beshear updates Kentuckians following severe weather. It could be 1 to 3 oclock right, could be all night. Folks on Twitter could not believe the visuals of what was going on in Pigeon Forge yesterday. The spot weather forecast from the National Weather Service Thursday morning predicts mostly sunny skies with a slight chance of scattered sprinkles late in the morning, minimum RH of 45 percent, and southwest winds 9 to 14 mph with gusts to Officials said that several agencies responded to Cold Creek Resort around 10 p.m. Tuesday after a fire started in the laundry room. Power outages reported across the region following severe storms, Kentucky State Police investigating Floyd County death, Restrictions on vehicles restoring power and clearing debris temporarily lifted, Governor Andy Beshear updates Kentuckians following severe weather, Sevier County Fairgrounds Donations Schedule, Hatcher Mountain / Indigo Wildfire Update, fire crews were preparing for the threat of wildfires due to a Red Flag Warning, Sevier County Emergency Management Agency. The post Brush Fire in Pigeon Forge Forces Evacuations appeared first on Outsider . Multiple agencies responded to a large brush fire in the Wears Valley community Wednesday morning, according to the Sevier County Fire Department and the Tennessee Division of Forestry. Multiple communities under evacuation orders as wildfires grow and new ones spark overnight. Duran currently lives in Coral Gables, Florida. Joshua McGrath pic.twitter.com/MDhpiLIQ88, Kaitlin Wright (@wxkaitlin) March 30, 2022. The fire spread rapidly and widely because of wind gusts that blew up to 87 mph on Monday night, according to Miller. Pigeon Forge Crews with the Dandridge Fire Department along with other Jefferson County fire departments were headed to the fire to assist the Sevier Co. Wildland Task Force. Pilot killed in helicopter crash was former wildland firefighter, Higher than average wildfire activity expected in Southern Plains and Southwest, April through June, Long bushfire season wears down firefighters in Queensland and Western Australia, Community near Heppner, Oregon first in Morrow County to earn Firewise designation, County Cork fire brigades work through the night on gorse fires, Renewed call for the Holy Grail of firefighter tracking, Hiker owes $300,000 for Arizona wildfire he started. Sevier County residents, visitors face uncertainty amid wildfire More evacuation orders followed, including one for the Black Bear Resort area and the great Waldens Creek and Wears Valley area. Fire officials also said that lessons learned in the 2016 Gatlinburg fires helped authorities respond to this weeks fire. Deputies with the Sevier County Sheriffs Office originally Deputies with the Sevier County Sheriffs Office originally told WVLT News that the Pine Mountain Fire started from a structure fire that started earlier in the day that was spread by the wind. Investigators said the state was unable to prove the criminal responsibility of the two juveniles beyond a reasonable doubt for the devastation that happened outside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park due to the high wind speeds that spread the fire from the mountains and into the city. Resident Robert Goodhue was turned around mid-afternoon by a state trooperas he was driving towards his home. TEMA did not send out a mass evacuation alert because it said it did not have a preset message to accurately describe the situation. Five fire rescue vehicles, including four county vehicles and one state vehicle, were damaged as a result of the fire, Waters said. TEMA hasnt determined the cause of the fire. Mayor Waters also said he would provide media with updates later in the afternoon, which WVLT will relay through the WVLT News App live. As of Sunday afternoon, the Hatcher Mountain Fire is 98% contained and all affected areas are now open. Officials identified Robert A. Hejny, 63, who was found at Travelers Motel in Gatlinburg. The American Red Cross is asking people who are planning to come to an evacuating center to bring bedding (such as pillows) and prescribed medications with them to help make their stay more comfortable, the agency said in a tweet. But until then, on Wednesday night the relative humidity will be in the 30s and 40s with very strong winds out of the southwest at 15 to 18 mph with gusts of 40 to 60 mph. Have a phone thats charged and on and listen to the media.. (No insurance company calls, please. No number of firefighters could have stopped the fire in such wind conditions, Great Smoky Mountain National Park Deputy Superintendent Clay Jordan told WVLT News in 2016. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Family owned toy store destroyed by fire in Pigeon Forge The wind was expected to make travel hazardous due to trees being blown down. We believe there was no way we could have controlled the fire prior to the wind event. If it keeps going, we already know well be here as long as we need, Pigeon Forge Fire Chief Tony Watson said. For folks that lived in Walden Creek and Wears Valley, authorities asked them to evacuate as it was a dangerous place to be on Wednesday afternoon. #tnwx #wildfire Tennessee Thewind is making this fire very hard to manage.". Discovery Company. The blaze is being pushed by strong winds. Officials said May Vance died of a heart attack in the wildfires and did not release further information other than they were from Gatlinburg. -Maintenance of a current certification in CPR and First Aid. Documents filed in the case obtained by WVLT News show Reed filed a claim in 2017. Crews work to contain wildfire near Smoky Mountains "It meant a lot to me," he said. Crews with the Dandridge Fire Department along with other Jefferson County fire departments were headed to the fire to assist the Sevier Co. Wildland Task Force. fire Sevier County EMA officials also released a phone number for people to call with questions or information about areas affected by the Hatcher Mountain Road/Indigo Lane Fire Thursday afternoon. A brushfire near Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, forced evacuations on Wednesday, March 30. https://bit.ly/3u1KXel. A Warner Bros. We will provide donation information for both items and money later this afternoon. Two firefighters suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene; one man was injured Wednesday and flown out by LifeStar. We know they are anxious, we are trying to get everything under control as quick as they can.. The combination of the precipitation and the winds dying down is a big step in the right direction. They said they are working on creating a list of donation drop-off points, but until those are released asked people to not donate. pic.twitter.com/VU3I6B4zLs. The fire prompted the Sevier County School System to cancel classes Thursday out of an abundance of caution for our students, parents, and staff members, it said in a message on its website.