Wildfires forcing evacuations in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge

[Creed Bratton]

More so of reporting on what folks say they are seeing while they are in the middle of insanity, where they cannot think clearly.

I watched a local Knoxville channel last night where someone said they were in Park Vista and that the space needle was completely engulfed from what they could see. That couldn't have been further from the truth.

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[Creed Bratton]

Sorry for the double post, but saw this from the Knoxville News Sentinel 

 

http://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/tennessee/2016/11/29/dollywood-employee-finds-burned-bible-page-after-wildfires/94630820/

[Nick_Plummer]

Sad to see Hillbilly Golf gone. That was my first ever miniature golf course. 

[jcgoble3]

According to a statement from Dollywood on the park's website, park employees are currently focused on assisting those affected by the wildfires and providing food and housing for firefighters and other first responders, and this will remain the focus for the next couple of days. As such, Dollywood will remain closed through Thursday and will reopen on Friday at 2 PM.

[Creed Bratton]

Sad to see Hillbilly Golf gone. That was my first ever miniature golf course. 

 

Hillbilly Golf is not gone. They have most of the structures and little scorching on the greens. 

[silver2005]

And stuff like this, ladies and gentlemen, is why Dolly Parton is amazing.

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/dolly-parton-announces-aid-to-tennessee-fire-victims_us_583fa0f8e4b09e21702cba3c

[Rustbucket]

I just donated to this for the family who lost homes from this tragedy.  

 

http://dollywoodfoundation.org/

 

This was sent out to season pass holders via email.

[TripleB]

Visited this weekend, happy to confirm HillBilly Golf looked okay but was closed. Parts of town by the mountains were flattened, looked like a war zone. Some hotels and structures on RiverRoad are gone. I heard the building at the top of The Sky Lift is gone. The putt putt golf course in the middle of town had noticeable damage at the top. On a positive note the town was packed, it was great to see the commitment from tourist and the resolve of the locals.

[malem]

If convicted, the teenagers accused of starting the fire could face 60 years to life in prison. http://www.wdrb.com/story/34065996/teens-charged-in-deadly-tenn-wildfires-could-get-life-in-prison

[Leland Wykoff]

Excellent story:

 

http://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/tennessee/2016/12/18/questions-linger-wildfire-alerts/95144318/

 

Much of the carnage of the Firestorm could have been moderated if effective Fire-Wise building codes had been in place along with Woodland Urban Interface Landscaping Rules. 

 

The Sevier County area has been very resistant to updating building codes to reflect modern safety concerns.  We now see the costly results of such inaction and the effects of this Firestorm will linger for years.