Fire in the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Area

[Fierofool]

I spoke with Mike Barr Monday morning. Mike is a resident of Gatlinburg, living just above town underneath the skylift. Mike is a former Georgia Fieros member and the person who provided our Warrior Project car.  Those of you who did RFTH this year may have met him at Calhoun's BBQ as we awaited our seating. 

He said he had to quickly evacuate last night and drove through a firestorm getting out of town. He didn't realize until this morning that he forgot to put on shoes. There is a 16 story hotel that's just up behind the Gatlinburg Convention center that was extensively damaged and had been vacated. That's only about 2 blocks from the Convention Center which is at the south end of downtown. The West Gate Resort, a community of probably 100 buildings on the north end of town near the Gatlinburg Welcome Center is almost totally wiped out. A firefighter friend of my daughter and son-in-law that works at one of the stations up in that area said they had to abandon their station and almost got trapped. He said the Ripley's Aquarium on the north end of downtown had to be abandoned because it was threatened.  f85gtron and I took a little tour of town on the trolley  after our RFTH dinner and rode up to a mountaintop resort.  That was the Park Vista Hilton 16 story hotel.   

They reported top winds at 87 mph yesterday and there was only a smidgen of rain, with most of the storm system that brought rain to us, going more toward the Knoxville direction. 

Nothing in the immediate downtown strip has suffered any damage so to speak of as of this morning.

[f85gtron]

Wow!  Glad he's ok. I've seen pictures on tv and it looks pretty hairy.

[Raydar]

Thanks, Charlie. I'm glad he's okay, too. I was thinking about him, and Ronnie asked, too.
I sent you email, before I saw this posting. 

[Fierofool]

And I replied to your email before I saw your posting. 

At least last night they got some pretty heavy rain, but along with it was some strong winds and some possible tornadoes.  A couple of hours ago they're reporting somewhere nearing 300 structures have been destroyed.  A lot of those are multiple resident buildings, like the West Gate Condominiums.  Mike said the fires were mostly on the town side of the parkway, but up in the north end, it had crossed over.  He didn't know if he still had a home or not, but he has taken refuge in Pigeon Forge. 

[GTRS Fiero]

Not that I wish less for anyone else, but I hope his home is OK.  Losing your home is terrible.  If the home is OK, forgetting his shoes will be funny later on.

[Fierofool]

I talked with Mike again this afternoon.  He said the folks in Pigeon Forge has opened their doors to all the refugees from Gatlinburg.  They didn't have any inclination to put up a wall.    There were some reports that Dollywood had been affected but Mike said he thought they may have only lost a few cabins.  Weather radar had showed heavy storms headed their way and they did get some rain, but it was only very light.  Most of yesterday's heavy stuff went west of Gatlinburg, more toward Pigeon Forte, Maryville and Knoxville.  Maybe some of the stormy stuff we got here today will migrate up that way. 

He got a good shower today,. but he only has the clothes he had on when he escaped, but he does have the finances to not have any issues.  I asked if we could do anything to help, and he said he was fine and thanked us for our concerns for him. 

He said he tried to sneak back into Gatlinburg, but the law officers detainedt him and turned him back.  He said that if he was in a Fiero, the suckers would have never caught him.  Still doesn't know if he has a home but for the time being, he's good.

He said that he heard the firestorm but didn't know what it was.  Sounded a bit like a jet.  He soon found out and that's when he evacuated. 

[Raydar]

Thanks for the update, Charlie.

[Fierofool]

I spoke with Mike again tonight.  They gave passes good for 4 hours so residents could check their businrss or home.  He has no power or water but he still has his home.  He is well.

[Raydar]

Excellent! Thank God!
Thanks, once again, for the update.