Sophie Watson
On November 28, 2016 a series of wildfires started in Tennessee spreading to the Western North Carolina region. The causes of these fires were under debate for a long time. According to Leada Gore, at first two boys were charged with arson, but that charge was later dropped due to lack of evidence. It was said that the two boys dropped lit matches on the Chimney Tops Trails. The fires mainly affected Pigeon forge, Gatlinburg, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park of Tennessee. The death toll was 14 people, with an injured number of 190.
According to Songer, “2460 structures were damaged or destroyed and 17,136 acres were burned. Strong winds reaching 87 mph fanned the flames on as it swept through Gatlinburg.” Damage was assessed after the fires burned out, to be 500 million dollars. With the towns affected being so heavily populated, crews worked day and night trying to restore the land and put out the wildfires. According to Rolando Zenteno, Jason Hanna and Madison Park, “On-site personnel of nearly a thousand people are working to help Gatlinburg heal. They are bolstered by air and land assistance: 46 fire engines, six helicopters and five bulldozers.” The fire lasted for almost five days. To help to rebuild Sevier County, Dolly Parton, who has two amusement parks plus a dinner show, donated money to help rebuild her town after these devastating fires.
According to Blue Ridge Mountain Life, “Wildfires often start due to environmental causes, especially under dry conditions, like Western North Carolina is experiencing now.” When rain is not often, land becomes dry and it can be very easy to start wildfires. When things like this happen, people building fires must get a burn permit to even start a fire in your back yard. Checking with the local fire department or on the Smokey the Bear website one can learn if one can burn at the time and how to avoid starting wildfires. Sometimes if a fire is horrible, such as Tennessee wildfires, the aftermath can be so much worse. Not only was there damage to property and loss of life, but smoke also affected the surrounding areas without fire. According to Blue Ridge Mountain Life, “Surrounding states are seeing smoke from the fires, and reports of smoke are coming from as far away as Atlanta and Eastern NC. Even Charlotte, more than two hours away went under a code orange air quality for the past few days.” When air quality gets this low, it is not safe to breathe this air in for long. Sometimes even mandated masks aren’t qualified for breathing this air because the particles could be so small.
According to NIFC.gov, “In 2019, 87 percent of wildfires were caused by humans.” Wildfires can be so deadly, that is why it is always suggested that you put out fires before ever leaving it unattended. Things you would never expect that could cause so much damage can. Such as a cigarette butt, leaving fires unattended, fireworks, even gender reveals. Overall, this fire was one of the worst the Smokys and WNC had ever seen.