A helicopter collects water from the lake to fall into a fire in the Wears Valley on Wednesday, March 30, 2022. Caitie McMekin, Knoxville News Sentinel Stimulated by dangerous winds and dry leaves, the fire in Sevier County, which started on Wednesday, is still relatively low. As crews continue to fight the fire, Knox News has reporters on stage who feed updates to this lively blog. Check back regularly for the latest news.
Damage assessment will begin shortly
At 11:20 a.m., Sevier County officials said material damage assessments would begin soon in the fire-hit areas. Earlier, County Sheriff Sevier Larry Waters said 11,000 homes were evacuated during the day. “I think the worst is over, but I think there is another danger,” he said. More than 200 people and 70 services have been involved in the firefighting efforts, Water said. Two firefighters were slightly injured and taken to the scene. a man was injured Wednesday and flew out of LifeStar. There was no update on his condition this morning.
The Blackhawks developed
At the request of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, the Tennessee National Guard provided six UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters to assist in responding to the fires. Around 8 a.m., the first two Blackhawk helicopters departed from McGhee Tyson National Guard Air Base with Bambi Buckets used to supply hundreds of gallons of firefighting water. Each aircraft will make multiple trips. The Blackhawks will take water from nearby water sources and transport it directly to the required area. Two more Blackhawks crews left at 10 a.m. and two more crews were to be deployed at noon.
The non-profit organization Mountain Tough has been reactivated
Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters said Thursday morning that a non-profit organization set up to help victims of Sevier County fires in 2016 was reactivated. The non-profit organization Mountain Tough closed in 2018. Sevier Mayor informs the community about the fire in the Wears Valley Sevier Mayor Larry Waters provides updates on the Wears Valley fire from the Pigeon Forge on Thursday, March 31, 2022. Knoxville News Sentinel
The fire has been reduced by only 5%.
A press conference on Thursday morning provided information about the fire, which has been limited to only 5%. County Sheriff Sevier Larry Waters told reporters that officials had no reports of deaths or missing persons. The Hatcher Mountain fire has affected 100 structures and 3,700 acres, not including county-wide fires. Five fire trucks were damaged. Although the fire approached the Pigeon Forge, Waters said, it did not reach the city limits. Officials have not identified the cause and evacuations are continuing. Sevier County has created a dynamic map of the current fire evacuation area that can be found on Sevier County Emergency Management’s Facebook page at facebook.com/SevierCoEMA. Users can enter their address in the window to see if they are within the evacuation area.
Rainfall during the night does not help much
The overnight rainfall did not compete with the stormy winds on the Hatcher Mountain Road / Indigo Lane Fire that broke out Wednesday at the popular Great Smoky Mountains shelter. Firefighters continued to work through the night patrolling the perimeter of the fire and protecting structures, said Brooke Smith, a Tennessee Department of Forestry spokesman. “We were mitigating any hotspots, we were not losing other structures,” Smith said Thursday morning. “The rain has helped. This is no longer a wind-induced event.” Smith said the leaf litter, which is the main source of fuel for the fire, will dry out as the weather clears and the fire can rise again. However, fire officials do not expect further major pressure from the fire, he said. “It has to be manageable,” Smith said. “Very different from yesterday.”
The Gatlinburg fire is exacerbating concerns
A small fire in Gatlinburg that broke out shortly before midnight on Wednesday has been extinguished. The city of Gatlinburg had issued a mandatory evacuation in the Ownby Hills and Hidden Hills areas due to the fire of about one acre of brush, which ignited due to the fall of power lines. This video was shot by @myTDOT staff last night on SR 73 (US 321). Our crews in Sevier County, Jefferson County, Grainger County and Cocke County are on standby if needed. pic.twitter.com/0DoTQDOTHE – Mark Nagi (@MarkNagiTDOT) March 31, 2022 The fire was extinguished by 5 a.m. and evacuation orders for the area came, according to the Sevier County Emergency Management Agency.
Emergency shelters were set up
Several emergency shelters have been opened for displaced homeowners and tourists. More than 122 people stayed overnight at the Pigeon Forge Community Center, said Sharon Hudson, executive director of the American Red Cross in East Tennessee.
Immediate evacuations
Authorities have called on anyone in Wears Valley and Walden Creek to evacuate immediately. “If you’re not sure if you’re in this area, you’ll have to evacuate,” Sevier County’s Emergency Management Agency warned. The service has a dynamic map that can help you determine if you need to evacuate.
The fire is spreading with dangerous winds
Dozens of people gathered Wednesday afternoon on Highway 321 near Hatcher Mountain Road, anxiously assessing the state of a fire that broke out in the Wears Valley community. Two helicopters flew overhead to throw water near several burning houses on the hillside, as strong winds and dry conditions caused a fire and led to an evacuation order in the area around Hatcher Mountain Road and Indigo Lane. Directed at night, the Forest Department said the fire covered about 1,000 acres and was reduced by 0%.
title: “Crews Battle Smokies Wildfire In East Tennessee " ShowToc: true date: “2022-10-27” author: “Effie Hill”
Watch as firefighters continue their efforts to contain the fire in the Wears Valley area of Sevier County. Brianna Paciorka, Knoxville News Sentinel Stimulated by dangerous winds and dry leaves, the fire in Sevier County, which started on Wednesday, is slowly diminishing. As crews continue to fight the fire, Knox News has reporters on stage who feed updates to this lively blog. Check back regularly for the latest news.
Efforts to limit
Firefighters have now contained 30 percent of the fire in Hatcher Mountain / Indigo Lane, Sevier County Emergency Management Agency said Thursday afternoon. New evacuations were issued Thursday night in the Smoky Ridge Way area off Wears Valley Road due to rising fire conditions. Several roads are also closed due to deteriorating fire conditions, such as:
Highway 321 from Waldens Creek to Valley View Hatcher Mountain Happy Hollow at South Clear Fork Little Valley in Waldens Creek South Helton at Waldens Creek
Sevier County schools canceled classes on Friday due to the fires. The school system’s spring break is next week, so students will return to school on Monday, April 11th.
The evacuation houses an oasis for people displaced by the fire
The sound of the banjo collection fills a red courtyard just outside the Strip. If it weren’t for the fire that ate the nearby hillside, it could have been a normal day at Pigeon Forge. This brick courtyard is part of the Pigeon Forge Community Center, where the American Red Cross has set up a shelter for firefighters on Hatcher Mountain / Indigo Lane. On the second day of the fire, the wind conditions that caused its spread left few. Some roads reopened and the evacuation area was reduced. The numbers at the shelter dropped as the families headed outside to see if they could return to their homes. At its peak, 131 people took refuge in the community center. Jessica Fisher, who responded to the Red Cross disaster, said the shelter has seen many holidaymakers from all over evacuate their rental cabins outside the Pigeon Forge. “They have nothing, so we had a lot of them in big teams of 11 to 15 together,” Fisher said. Tourists panicked more than the evacuation notice from locals, Fischer said. “The fear of the last time is heavy in everyone’s mind. So everyone says “My God. We have to go”. There is no waiting game in this. “It was in it,” Fisher said. Those in the area were worried about what they had left behind – their homes, their souvenirs, the pets that could not be found in the urge to evacuate. “The only thing they can think about is when we can go home. Something happened in our house,” Fisher said. The mood at the shelter was mostly optimistic, he said. Even so, stress is a stark contrast to Pigeon Forge’s Strip’s busy glamor. Some families at the shelter went out for dinner and activities on the Strip while waiting for updates. Fisher said she expects more visitors to the shelter as different roads are closed. “Everyone is kind of in a waiting game,” he added.
The management of hot spots is the main goal for Thursday
Firefighters spent most of the day Thursday patrolling the perimeter and focusing on hotspots in an effort to keep the fire from escalating, said Brooke Smith, a Tennessee Department of Forestry spokesman. Navigating the web of cabins in the area complicated mitigation efforts. Firefighters place bulldozer lines to prevent the fire from spreading, but must weave through neighborhoods, making it more difficult to connect a bulldozer line to the entire fire footprint. In the Little Valley neighborhood, rental cabins are located next to lanes of scorched earth. The fire burned through the top layer of leaf litter, leaving the fuel on the ground to re-ignite. This is why firefighters today spend on targeted mitigation – many areas could be re-ignited as the wind carries coals from “hot spots” that still smoke. Hot spots are logs and logs that retain heat and can scatter sparks. Firefighters call this 100-hour fuel because it can burn for a long time. PIO Nathan Waters said the 100-hour logs had a moisture content of 13%, making them particularly sensitive to fire.
New information about the shelter has been published
Seymour Heights Christian Church (122 Boyd’s Creek Highway) and Pigeon Forge Community Center (170 Community Center Drive) are available as shelters for people displaced by the Hatcher Mountain / Indigo Lane fire.
The Army of Salvation feeds the first correspondents
Knoxville Salvation Army Area Command is located on Mount Hatcher / Indigo Lane with the mobile canteen unit. They provide meals, drinks, snacks and comfort to the first responders battling the flames. Major Cameron Henderson, Knoxville District Commander, responded with the mobile Knoxville canteen unit, along with Lt. Melissa Melzing of the Sevierville Corps and other volunteers. By 23:00 on Wednesday, they had served 280 meals, 500 bottles of water, 100 Gatorades and 425 snacks. The Salvation Army has coordinated with local emergency management officials to establish a stable feeding site at Pigeon Forge High School at 414 Tiger Drive.
An information bar is provided
County Sevier is moving deeper into recovery as of noon on Thursday. On its website, the county announced that it has received many donation offers and is working on locations where donations can be rejected. “Please refrain from bringing items to any location at this time,” officials said. “We will provide information on donations for both items and money later this afternoon.” The county also gave a phone number for information, but asked insurance companies to stop. Residents and visitors who need general information or have information to provide in areas affected by the Hatcher Mountain Road / Indigo Lane fire can call 865-774-3899.
Damage assessment will begin shortly
At 11:20 a.m., Sevier County officials said material damage assessments would begin soon in the fire-hit areas. Earlier, County Sheriff Sevier Larry Waters said 11,000 homes were evacuated during the day. “I think the worst is over, but I think there is another danger,” he said. More than 200 people and 70 services have been involved in the firefighting efforts, Water said. Two firefighters were slightly injured and taken to the scene. a man was injured Wednesday and flew out of LifeStar. There was no update on his condition this morning.
The Blackhawks developed
At the request of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, the Tennessee National Guard provided six UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters to assist in responding to the fires. Watch a helicopter collect water from a falling lake in a fire in the Wears Valley A helicopter collects water from the lake to fall into a fire in the Wears Valley on Wednesday, March 30, 2022. Caitie McMekin, Knoxville News Sentinel Around 8 a.m., the first two Blackhawk helicopters departed from McGhee Tyson National Guard Air Base with Bambi Buckets used to supply hundreds of gallons of firefighting water. Each aircraft will make multiple trips. The Blackhawks will take water from nearby water sources and transport it directly to the required area. Two more Blackhawks crews left at 10 a.m. and two more crews were to be deployed at noon. At approximately 11:30 a.m., one of the helicopters suffered an engine failure, forcing it to land southwest of the Wears Valley. All four crew members were safe and no injuries were reported. The aircraft suffered minor damage during landing.
Watch the Tennessee wildfires
In the Light of the Smokies Fire in the Wears Valley, watch the fires in Tennessee with this map
The non-profit organization Mountain Tough has been reactivated
Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters said Thursday morning that a non-profit organization set up to help victims of Sevier County fires in 2016 was reactivated. The non-profit organization Mountain Tough closed in 2018. Sevier Mayor informs the community about the fire in the Wears Valley Sevier Mayor Larry Waters provides updates on the Wears Valley fire from the Pigeon Forge on Thursday, March 31, 2022. Knoxville News Sentinel
The fire has been reduced by only 5%.
A press conference on Thursday morning provided information about the fire, which has been limited to only 5%. County Sheriff Sevier Larry Waters told reporters that officials had no reports of deaths or missing persons. The Hatcher Mountain fire has affected 100 structures and 3,700 acres, not including county-wide fires. Five fire trucks were damaged. Although the fire approached the Pigeon Forge, Waters said, it did not reach the city limits. Officials have not identified the cause and evacuations are continuing. Sevier County has created a dynamic map of the current fire evacuation area that can be found on Sevier County Emergency Management’s Facebook page at facebook.com/SevierCoEMA. Users can enter their address in the window to see if they are within the evacuation area.
Rainfall during the night does not help much
The overnight rainfall did not compete with the stormy winds on the Hatcher Mountain Road / Indigo Lane Fire that broke out Wednesday at the popular Great Smoky Mountains shelter. Firefighters continued to work through the night patrolling the perimeter of the fire and protecting structures, said Brooke Smith, a Tennessee Department of Forestry spokesman. “We were mitigating any hotspots, we were not losing other structures,” Smith said Thursday morning. “The rain has helped. This is no longer a wind-induced event.” Smith said the leaf litter, which is the main source of fuel for the fire, will dry out as the weather clears and the fire can rise again. However, fire officials do not expect further major pressure from the fire, he said. “It has to be manageable,” Smith said. “Very different from yesterday.”
The Gatlinburg fire is exacerbating concerns
A small fire in Gatlinburg that broke out shortly before midnight on Wednesday …
