2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Bull Head ridge was one of the first areas the fires "ridge hopped" to on Monday, November 28, 2016. Again, the generosity of our Pigeon Forge community and beyond is greatly appreciated. See more from this location? Artists confirmed for Mountain Tough include the Zac Brown Band. Secondly, communication between departments became an issue as a result of a lack of interoperability of radio frequencies and channel allocation. The Gatlinburg fire of 2016 began in late November - the day before Thanksgiving - on Chimney Tops Trail in a period of extreme drought. [35] U.S. District Judge Ronnie Greer ruled September 8, 2020 that the lawsuit against the United States could go forward on a claim of failure to warn under the Federal Tort Claims Act before a judge., Source: Wikipedia : 2016 Great Smoky Mountains wildfires. Others, however, stay with us. As many as 14,000 residents and visitors were evacuated from Gatlinburg and city officials said they do not know when they will be allowed back in. The 3rd day, with 400 acres now burning, the winds had arrived and the situation was deemed too risky to contend with. The KNP Complex Fire that devastated Sequoia National Park and surrounding lands in September-October 2021 had much in common with the Gatlinburg disasterchief among the commonalities is Superintendant Clay Jordan. It was deserted. I would sit and watch the news and just cry. Dolly Partons famous Dollywood theme park near the Great Smoky Mountains in eastern Tennessee was closed Tuesday as a wildfire ravaged the area and made its way seriously close to the parks border. The fire ballooned to more than 17,000 acres when winds stronger than 80 miles per hour carried the fire down the mountain and through Gatlinburg and parts of Pigeon Forge Nov. 28. The wildfire caught local and federal park officials unprepared. 0. On November 28, park employees observed that the fire had spread to the Chimneys Picnic Area north of and outside the containment boundary. All of 3 of these decisions were made by the NPS in the midst of the worst drought in 100 years. That evening we were on the deck and the winds were fierce. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. 2016 wildfires that occurred in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States, 2016 Southeastern United States wildfires, "National Park Service failed to warn residents in deadly Gatlinburg wildfires, judge rules", "1 year ago, a 'whole mountain on fire' forever changed Gatlinburg", "Two juveniles charged with arson in deadly Tennessee fire", "Gatlinburg Residents Get First Look at Destruction Left Behind By Wildfire | The Weather Channel", "The Latest: Death toll from wildfires increases to 14", "Death toll in Sevier County still rising", "Great Smoky Mountains fires leave three dead, 'scene of destruction' | Reuters", "Fires Near Smoky Mountains Prompt Mandatory Evacuations in Tennessee | NBC New York", "Gatlinburg evacuated after Great Smoky Mountains National Park fire", "Slideshow: Great Smoky Mountain Wildfires | Fox News", "Death toll rises to seven in Tennessee's Great Smoky Mountains fires | The Gazette", "Gatlinburg wildfires: Thousands evacuated from Smoky Mountains resort", "US 441 in Smokies, trails close for 500-acre fire", Tuesday marks 1-year anniversary of deadliest wildfire in Tennessee history, "When Maine Burned: Remembering 50 Years Ago", "Dolly Parton Provides Fire Victims 'Shoulder To Lean On', "A mesoscale simulation of a mountain wave wind event associated with the Chimney Tops 2 fire (2016)", "On High Winds and Foehn Warming Associated with Mountain-Wave Events in the Western Foothills of the Southern Appalachian Mountains", "Analyzing the fire that burned into Gatlinburg", "Firefighters raced to Gatlinburg, only to find some hydrants were running dry", "Gatlinburg wildfire records tell story of chaos, confusion", "Two juveniles charged with arson in Tennessee wildfires that left 14 people dead", "Attorney: Arson charges against teens in fatal Gatlinburg wildfire dropped", "Judge issues order allowing release of some records in Gatlinburg wildfires", "Donald Trump Tweets About Tennessee Wildfires", "President-elect Donald Trump's 'thoughts and prayers' with TN amid wildfires", "Gatlinburg, TN residents escape 'firestorm', "Gatlinburg fires: Dolly Parton's resort under threat as hundreds flee Tennessee wildfires | The Independent", "Nashville TV station airing live star-filled telethon for Gatlinburg victims", "6 months after wildfire, Gatlinburg area getting back on its feet", "Dolly Parton Is Hosting a Telethon to Help Tennessee Wildfire Victims", "Sevier Co. officials encouraging visitors: "If you want to help, come visit us", "Looking Back | 1 Year After the Gatlinburg Wildfires", "UT professor studying financial, emotional impact of 'My People Fund', "Lawsuit seeks millions in damages for Michael Reed, other Gatlinburg fire victims", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2016_Great_Smoky_Mountains_wildfires&oldid=1132265811, 21st-century mass murder in the United States, 2016 natural disasters in the United States, December 2016 crimes in the United States, November 2016 crimes in the United States, Pages with non-numeric formatnum arguments, Articles tagged with the inline citation overkill template from December 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. Is Moonshiners Real? 2016 Great Smoky Mountains Wildfires Deaths 14 Non-fatal injuries Unknown Perpetrator(s) Two juveniles charged with aggravated arson. Prescribed burn in the Cades Cove area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I still get panic attacks when I smell smoke and dont know where its coming from. It affected an estimated 2,400 buildings. The video posted by Michael Luciano was incredible because compared to us they were rather calm, I couldnt imagine being calm enough to hold a camera. Our car was basically trashed, but our lives were spared. [39] West surveyed 100 recipients of the emergency relief funds in April 2017 on topics including questions on housing, financial impact, physical and emotional heath, and sources of support, with a follow up survey conducted in December 2017. Our site produces editorial content for the purpose of entertainment. He almost lost his life in that fire. President Barack Obama ordered federal disaster relief funds to go to the hard hit area of Sevier County in response to the vast devastation. Of course, they. The fire claimed the lives of 14 people, injured an estimated 190 people and caused millions in damages and devastation. What caused the Gatlinburg fire 2016? The Gatlinburg fire that killed 14 people was started by two teenagers dropping lit matches onto the ground along Chimney Tops Trail in Great Smoky Mountain National Park, sources close to the investigation told the Knoxville News Sentinel. To make a $10 donation, text the word REDCROSS to 90999. Thu 1 Dec 2016 02.28 EST. The key is to learn from those mistakes and prepare for the future. Those affected by the fire sued the government in 2018, alleging negligence by NPS employees. We were scared and now there are still many people who are angry. The facility will be staffed and open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. As folks begin to rebuild, these donated items provide for many of the necessities in the coming weeks, Teaster added. This is a Very true story that I hope to never ever repeat. Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller said firefighters were already battling a 3-acre blaze on Chimney Tops Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park when wind speeds picked up and shifted. "[27][28] But later, the federal government worked to dismiss lawsuits looking to hold the Federal Parks responsible for failure to contain the fires in the federal parks, brought forth by the residents of Sevier County. Published: Dec. 24, 2022 at 10:17 AM PST GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WVLT) - On Friday, Gatlinburg city officials released a report detailing the downtown fire on Oct. 9 that killed one person and injured another. What year was the Gatlinburg fire? YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Heres a rough timeline of what occurred: Lets start a few days before the fire. Gatlinburg, Tennessee CNN Fanned by strong winds and the Southeast's worst drought in nearly a decade, at least 14 wildfires burned in and around Gatlinburg, Tennessee, forcing evacuations. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and Tennessee Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster established a call center to provide information for those who would like to donate goods or volunteer to help survivors. Some of the towns most impacted were Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, both near Great Smoky Mountains National Park. When we got to Knoxville, I would watch it on the news, because my family owns a vacation cabin in Townsend, just two miles from where the Walland fires were burning. It began at The Chimney Tops, where a fire had been burning for several days. (WJHL) It has been now five years since the deadly wildfire that ravaged Gatlinburg Tennessee. Additionally, critical communications links between the City of Gatlinburg EOC and TEMA were significantly interrupted and contributed to TEMA not sending the requested IPAWS message to evacuate Gatlinburg. Find the perfect razed mountains stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. Who was responsible for Gatlinburg fire? The cause of the fire is still undetermined and under investigation. PIGEON FORGE, Tennessee (Nov. 30, 2016)After receiving an overwhelming volume of donated supplies, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, has opened a supply distribution center to serve those affected by recent wildfires and help the community and its members. Authorities would later announce the fire was sparked by juveniles playing with matches and fueled by unusually high winds. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. The strong winds carried burning embers, sparking still more hotspots and increasing the spread of the fire. It was getting darker and I had just taken off my shoes. Fire erupts on both side of Highway 441 between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tenn., Monday, Nov. 28, 2016. However, by the time a federal judge dropped the charges six months later, some had lost focus on the fire. First of all, radio communications overloaded the Sevier County radio system at times. The result was six weeks of AQIs above 600 for those of us who lived just downhill from the Parksix weeks of living under evacuation orders, 80 years of life packed into one carlands my family had lived on, loved and cared for over five generations reduced to a heartbreaking deathscape. The high wind gusts up to 87 mph, in addition to creating a firestorm, knocked down power lines and created new fires. [7], One of the largest wildfires was the Chimney Tops 2 Fire, which burned more than 10,000 acres, and closed the Chimney Tops Trail.[14]. The Gatlinburg Fire Map 2016 expanded overnight as the Tennessee Fire Map grew through Pigeon Forge. So I wasnt surprised by the fire itself. Husband taking a shower, when he came out and had just gotten dressed the phone wrung. A shocking 20.3% of Tennessee Residents believe that over 50% of downtown Gatlinburg was destroyed in the Gatlinburg wildfire. Of course, they will heal eventually. The operating hours, policies and procedures of other businesses may change at any time without notice. According to an independent report by the ABS group, as late as 4:30 pm on the 28th, models provided by the Pigeon Forge Fire Department indicated it would take 19 hours for the fire to reach the city limits. The whole family should be in prison. Just like everything else these days, Where is the parenting?!?!? A National Weather Service report issued on Sunday predicted wind gusts up to 40mph the following day. Alamo Steakhouse on East Parkway. Here's the Real Story - NewsBreak Years have passed, but the scars remain. Tourists, locals and officials were mindful of the fire, which brought smoke and ash into the city. Both face charges of aggravated arson but prosecutors said they would not rule out other charges or options, including seeking to have the suspects tried as adults. John Gullion, Managing Editor at the Citizen Tribune, is a freelance contributor for TheSmokies.com LLC the parent company of TheSmokies.com and HeyOrlando.com. Throughout the afternoon and evening of November 28, numerous fires developed in the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge areas as a result of wind-driven sparks or downed power lines. We were supposed to be there that weekend but went the weekend before. What started the fire in Gatlinburg Tennessee 2022? Does the TV Show Make Real Moonshine? The fire department was there quickly. Humidity values for this day dropped to as low as 17 percent during a period of "Exceptional" drought. Winds were so strong we could barely talk to each other. We also saw Several cabins on fire. Ultimately, nothing can fix the problems of the past. We could see the chair lift chairs hanging right above the fire. Glad things are back l love it there. and spread the word to any victims that they can pick up supplies here from 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM through Saturday and 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM on Sunday. (WVLT) On Nov. 23, 2016, the day before Thanksgiving, a fire began on the Chimney Tops Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. You can still see much of the damage these trails sustained today. [Click to show containment area map], Monday, November 28: the day the area had wind gusts of 40 mph, the fire exploded. Thank you Smoky Mtns for being the strong, resilient community you are. I heard the guy at the front desk yelling GET OUT AND GET OUT NOW! I had already got packed up because we were checking out in the morning heading to Cherokee to check in at Harrahs. 2016 (WHSV) - November 28th, 2016 is a day many in east Tennessee will never forget. Dolly Parton is heartbroken by the news. Browse all Pigeon Forge & Gatlinburg condos. The unholy concoction of conditions created a perfect storm. Deadly Gatlinburg fire started by teens tossing lit matches on ground: Reports. President-elect Donald Trump tweeted: "My thoughts and prayers are with the great people of Tennessee during these terrible wildfires. Even if investigators could conclusively prove the boys started the Chimney Tops fire, it was the windstorm that proved to be the driving force behind the disaster. November of 2016 brought the largest wildfire in the Great Smoky Mountains National Parks history, marking the largest natural disaster in Tennessees history. [30], A telethon, benefiting fire victims, was held December 9, in Nashville. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. thesmokies.com. Authorities would later announce the fire was sparked by juveniles playing with matches and fueled by unusually high winds. On November 27, while the fire was still inside the containment boundary, three Chinook helicopters dumped water on the fire in an effort to mitigate its spread. It was one of the largest natural disasters in the state of Tennessees history. The Great Smoky Mountains wildfires were the deadliest wildfires in Tennessee,[15] as well as the deadliest wildfires in the eastern U.S. since the Great Fires of 1947, which killed 16 people in Maine. Did Hillbilly Golf in Gatlinburg burn down? The 14-minute video, embedded below, shows both sides of the road glowing yellow, orange and red. Dispatchers did not receive clear updates on the status of the fires. It affected an estimated 2,400 buildings. It was shocking and upsetting. fire investigators have arrested seven suspects, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. The problems manifested themselves in a myriad of ways. I live in Oregon now but my heart will always belong to the Smokey Mountains of East Tennessee. I thought for sure we werent making it out. Did Cades Cove burn in . To this day I stress out over this. We were just there in mid October. Please see the list of much-needed items here: http://mypf.social/pfdonationneedsdec1. I was so glad to see the community pulling themselves back together. according to the Pigeon Forge Chamber of Commerce. Yesm I remember it and I remember the pain I felt and the tears also! Above: The strong gusts of wind picked up embers from the Chimney Tops 2 fire and wildfires began to appear on the western ridges of Mount LeConte, toward the Twin Creeks picnic area, and eventually into Gatlinburg. On our way there we were re routed in NC. All rights reserved (About Us). Just enough to scar me. That was my great nephew, Tony, driving the truck and his best friend, Michael, shooting the video. [42] U.S. District Judge Ronnie Greer ruled September 8, 2020 that the lawsuit against the United States could go forward on a claim of failure to warn under the Federal Tort Claims Act before a judge. RELATED: Woman, children with local ties die in Gatlinburg wildfire The fire was the state's deadliest in more than a century. Even the 911 system could not handle all the calls it received, and calls intended for Sevier County went to Putnam County instead. West found that the "My People Fund," in tandem with traditional disaster response, gave families the ability to make decisions that were most beneficial to them, and concluded that unconditional cash support may be more beneficial for disaster relief than conditional financial support. Our suggestion is to GIVE DIRECTLY" to 3 accounts: PLEASE KNOW: these 3 accounts/funds are setup and administered by The City of Pigeon Forge, The City of Gatlinburg and The Dollywood Company, and all (100%) of the money will go to help aid the families displaced by the wildfires. Such a beautiful place in all of Gods creation to have to go through that. Our family was in the fire. We had been assured that there was no danger, and everything seemed to be business as usual. 14 people The national park is now closed indefinitely due to the fire. The Gatlinburg fire that killed 14 people was started by two teenagers dropping lit matches onto the ground along Chimney Tops Trail in Great Smoky Mountain National Park, sources close to the. Defense . Gatlinburg Mountain Tough Benefit Festival: (December 17, 2016 in Downtown Gatlinburg) In collaboration with Ole Smoky Distillery, Yee-Haw Brewing Company, and Music City Roots, we are proud to announce #MountainTough, a day-long, outdoor mini-festival to combat the devastating toll of the recent wildfires and to assist those affected by them. A separate named fire destroyed much of the Cobbly Nob subdivision east of Gatlinburg. By Monday, Gatlinburg's streetlights had switched on during the day as a haze enveloped the mountain town. I cant imagine living it. The wildfire was determined to be human-caused and is currently under investigation. what caused the fire in gatlinburg in 2016. funeral speech for grandpa from granddaughter / fish for pond stocking near me / what caused the fire in gatlinburg in 2016. what caused the fire in gatlinburg in 2016. Donation collection efforts that are already under way will be received at the distribution center. We ended up driving in a panic but managed to got out of there by the skin of our teeth. I knew something was wrong, really wrong, when the winds changed. In other words, messages sometimes did not reach the intended recipients due to a combination of factors. Strong southerly winds (with wind gusts up to 87mph) created by mountain waves[19][20] blew sparks into the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge areas and knocked down trees (which in turn started fires when they hit power lines). Was admiring Gods handy work just today! Mother and daughters had run from their home in the Chalet Village community after they watched a neighbors house burst into flame. We were in Chalet Village when the area was engulfed in flame and smoke. As more years pass, green growth will envelop the deadwood. The total lost of homes was 8. Best Hole in the Wall Restaurants in Gatlinburg, Top 9 Ranked. Another smaller fire sparked near Seymour on Thursday but was 60% contained of Sunday afternoon. From the City of Gatlinburg, here is what you need to know: This retired the regulation that visitors must wear masks in all public areas. That persons attempt to keep the public notified through traditional means was severely hampered by power outages from the fire and storm. What caused the fire in the Smoky Mountains? PIGEON FORGE, Tennessee (Dec. 3, 2016)The Pigeon Forge Distribution Center at 149 Cates Lane has been receiving donations from across the country this week. Some of the towns most impacted were Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, both near Great Smoky Mountains National Park. residents was that it was too green and lush here for there ever to be a fire like are seen out west. This included another $5,000 each for a total of $10,000. Communications within the EOC, although at times noisy and extremely busy due to the scope and scale of the Chimney Tops 2 firestorm, remained fluid and effective based on the information being received. Family and friends were worried about what direction the fires were going. Lucky we had a couple P100 full face respirators from painting project we had the year before so that made it to where we could keep as much sense about us as possible in the choas. Park officials closed roads and trails. At this point in time, the distribution facility is at capacity. Now, three years later, the Smokies are recovering. 25 from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Public Affairs Office, the fires started on Chimney Tops Trail a few miles south of Gatlinburg, off U.S. 441, at approximately 5:20 p.m. on Nov. 23. After 5 days of the fire spreading around the northern part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and into Gatlinburg, it was finally contained. We saw a disabled car that wasnt so lucky and I got out of the car and was able to get them safely to our vehicle and out of there, and let them use one of the respirators. For additional information, please call 866-586-4483. [32], Parton hosted another telethon Tuesday, December 13, also in Nashville. (WVLT) - On Nov. 23, 2016, the day before Thanksgiving, a fire began on the Chimney Tops Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The region was in the midst of an exceptional drought. Heres Our Top 7, Is the Laurel Falls Hike Easy? [16][17] In addition, the fires were also the most deadly and destructive of the 2016 Southeastern United States wildfires. View of some of the burned area of the park from Carlos Campbell Overlook NPS photo by Lisa Nagurny Last updated: September 1, 2022 Was this page helpful? However, under Tennessee law, aggravated arson is not a qualifying offense that would allow a judge to transfer the 15-year-old to adult Criminal Court. Some busy signals occurred due to the abundance of radio traffic and the lack of available radio frequencies. Many of you continue to ask about making financial/cash contributions to help our displaced families thank you so very much! Press ESC to cancel. And finally, the original EOC and other offices of city officials had to be evacuated to another location in Gatlinburg. It was devastating, but little Gatlinburg really showed what the community is made of! The death tolls is now at four. (CNN) Dollywood is temporarily closing its drop tower attraction after a boy fell to his death from a similar type of ride by the same manufacturer at a park in Orlando, a spokesman for Dolly Partons Tennessee theme park said. That evening, GSM park officials tweeted that a 1.5 acre fire (Chimney Tops 2 fire) was burning in a steep location around the Chimneys. "We are experiencing extremely dry conditions throughout the park and we are asking for the public's help to prevent uncontrolled wildfires," Chief Ranger Steve Kloster said at the time. [23], Two unnamed juveniles were initially charged with aggravated arson in connection to the fires; however, charges were later dropped due to lack of evidence as well as language in an agreement between the State of Tennessee and the Department of the Interior which excluded state jurisdiction from prosecuting criminal activities that occurred entirely within the park. In Gatlinburg, smoke and fire caused the mandatory evacuation of downtown and surrounding areas, according . I was born and raised in Blount County, a neighbor to Sevier County. It was called the Sparks wildfire and it was an approximately 7,000 acre wildfire near Bryson City, NC. No This video gives me an idea of what the people in those cars went through, and its not a pleasant idea, but I am very glad that these people managed to escape. The ABS report listed some communication successes such as the call for mutual aid but listed six major communication issues as well. (Joe Songer | jsonger@al.com). The very early decision by the NPS to let the fire burn itself out was one of the major contributors to the size and scale of the destruction. We went to town. Note: This post was originally used to update the community as the events of the Gatlinburg fire 2016 took place. This allowed me to reach some kind of closure. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WVLT) - On Nov. 23, 2016, the day before Thanksgiving, a fire began on the Chimney Tops Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We obviously arrived after much of the damage was done, and primary were sent there for search and rescue and clean up duty. Once we had arrived home in Georgia, we turned on the news to see that the fire was threatening the entire area. Between Thursday, November 24 and Saturday, November 25 National Park Service crews "identified and worked to establish a containment area lower down on the mountain where there was a higher chance of success to stop the fire" (NPS) until the weather took a turn for the worse the following Sunday. It was just so heartbreaking, I needed to share this with my husband and he wasnt there! A hiker reportedly captured an image of the boys walking away from the trail with smoke in the background and the clothing pictured in the photo was used to help identify the suspects. . What started the fire in Gatlinburg Tennessee 2022? A raging inferno swept through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and into the city of Gatlinburg, Tennessee on November 28, 2016, killing 14 people and injuring 190 more. A full closure is necessary to allow logistical movement of trucks and paving equipment along the narrow, one-way road. The 2016 Great Smoky Mountains wildfires, also known as the Gatlinburg wildfires, [1] were a complex of wildfires which began in late November 2016. What was lost in the Gatlinburg fire of 2016? It was creepy, and I also saw several beat-up looking cars with flaming tires. The Chimney Tops 2 Fire was originally reported on November 23, 2016. How many people died in Gatlinburg 2016 fire? They should have been severely punished! I was there on vacation at the time of the fire very scary where we stayed burned down so heartbreaking and devastating to see. By the time local officials were informed about the true danger, the Chimney Tops 2 fire was unstoppable, Greg Millers statement reads. I wasnt there when this fire happened but I watched on tv news. The humidity values for the area on Sunday, November 26 dropped to an exceptionally low 17%, and the national weather service warned to expect 40 mph winds the following day. Three victims died together Constance Reed, 34, and her two daughters, Chloe, 12, and Lily, 9. Those interested should call 865-804-1661 for more information beginning Thursday, December 1. The two boys, ages 17 and 15, have been charged in Sevier County Juvenile Court with aggravated arson in connection with the blaze that burned more than 17,000 acres, damaged or destroyed more than 2,500 structures and forced a week-long evacuation of Gatlinburg in the middle of one of its busiest tourist seasons. An 11-mile, one-way loop road circles the cove, offering motorists the opportunity to sightsee at a leisurely pace. I am so disappointed in the way this was handled. Let us know in the comments. Also, communications were hampered due to the fire intensity and high winds. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Winds gusting over 60 miles per hour fanned the flames and pushed the fire into Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and the surrounding areas. Available supplies include bottled water, adult- and childrens-sized apparel, footwear, blankets, food, beverages, over-the-counter medications, personal hygiene products, diapers, flashlights, baby formula and more. The day the sky turned red and yellow, the wind howled, and almost the whole East Tennessee valley started to smell the burning I knew that the night and morning would bring massive death and destruction. Even though less than 3% of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was destroyed by the wildfire, 44.4% believe that over 25% of the National Park burned down. Opportunities to aid in disaster relief can be found at redcross.org/donate. For example, the information did not always make it to the PIO for dissemination.