Wildfire in Tennessee

[DoomsDave]

I visited eastern Tennessee in the early 1990s with my younger brother and we roared through that lush practically rain forest landscape that was so green you could scream.

Now the whole place is on fire. I guess I got a bit distracted, but I hope no one in PT has any friends or relatives there. The death toll has risen to 7 and it looks bad.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/death-toll-rises-to-7-in-gatlinburg-wildfires/ar-AAkXIV0?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=spartanntp

 

[DoomsDave]

[Palmaceae]

This was terrible, my wife and I were up in Gatlinburg a couple months ago, such a beautiful area.

[Las Palmas Norte]

Really bad news for sure ... much of us in the pacific states and British Columbia know all too well.

Cheers and best wishes to those effected, Barrie. 

[DoomsDave]

6 hours ago, Palmaceae said:

This was terrible, my wife and I were up in Gatlinburg a couple months ago, such a beautiful area.

It really is. And they're not prepared like we're supposed to be out here.

[Dave-Vero]

The Appalachians have always had fires, largely on dry mountaintops and ridges, places where you see pines and oaks.  

To the best of my knowledge (which is rusty), the lush forests on the lower slopes and in the coves should hardly ever burn.  There was no reason for people in Gatlinburg to be elaborately prepared for what happened.  Some had metal roofs and such, but I doubt that typical Western safety measures were being pushed.  

I was shocked, and stayed awake most of last night.  The big modern hotel where people in the lobby made shocking videos of flames outside, is open for business and renting rooms for December.  

The extent of fires in the southern Appalachians seems unprecedented.  Northeastern Florida had a horrible fire season in 1998 but a lot of that was in sand pine scrub vegetation.  The pines are short-lived and contrive to commit mass suicide-by-fire, opening their closed cones post-fire just like some western pines.  

[DoomsDave]

Hmm.

They've arrested two "juveniles" for starting the fires. For now, authorities aren't identifying anyone or providing any details. We'll get that soon enough, I'm sure.

But . . .

This little tidbit left me disturbed: the fire started on November 23, 2016 on a ridgetop, but burst forth on November 28, five days later.

What were the firemen doing? Were any efforts being made to contain the fire?

In keeping with Dave-Vero's comments, and my own (even fuzzier) experiences, it would seem reasonable for there to be little to fear from a fire like that for people in the lush green valleys. Until now.

On the other hand, it would seem reasonable to try and make some effort to contain the fire.

Of course, our efforts at containment out here in the West are sometimes of dubious value.

I hope it wasn't bureaucratic inaction or infighting that led to the fire not being fought.

There's a smell to this . . .

[DoomsDave]

The odor was from my own overactive imagination, apparently. Which is good.

I've been advised by a former resident of G-burg that the fire had started on a ridgetop, which was very dry and flammable and the numerous crews from all over had tried very hard to put it out.

I guess I've been out here too long. Any place except Tucson and Phoenix seems like a rain forest . . . .