Gatlinburg in flames!

You would be hard pressed to find anyone who lives in the Midwest who hasn’t visited Gatlinburg or the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Who among us hasn’t taken a little road trip to this little vacation spot in the mountains of Tennessee? Well folks, there is shocking news out of Gatlinburg today. A wildfire is ravaging the cities of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. Details are still coming in and are a bit sketchy because this is happening right now and it will be a while before the extent of the damage is fully known. From what I’ve read, many homes, cabins, and chalets have been destroyed. The tourist attractions in Gatlinburg are in peril as well. I have also read that a mandatory evacuation of Gatlinburg has been ordered. High winds last night and this morning have compounded the problem and have greatly hindered firefighting efforts. The images I have seen are truly horrific. You will see some of them below. I’m sure there will be dozens more photos of burned out homes and businesses in the coming days.

Here’s a related story as it pertains to me… last night I took a bag of garbage to the can outside my garage. I immediately noticed the odor of smoke in the air. I honestly believed a house in my neighborhood was on fire. I looked around and saw no smoke or any sign of a fire anywhere. I then dismissed the odor as someone’s fireplace or wood burning stove. I never gave the smell of smoke another thought until I saw a local Cincinnati news report this morning. The report said if you were outside and smelled smoke, it was from the wildfire in Tennessee. Apparently there were such strong winds blowing out of the south that the smoke had traveled more than 250 miles from Tennessee to the tri-state area. Amazing!

I also read a report that the Park Vista Hotel was on fire. This is a 16 story tall hotel built on a hillside in Gatlinburg. Tami and I stayed there many years ago when the kids were much younger. One of the photos below shows a view of the fire from inside the hotel. There is also the report of “Hillbilly Golf” being destroyed. We’ve all seen the signs in Gatlinburg advertising this tourist attraction, and now it has apparently been destroyed.

I will continue to monitor this story as it carries a tremendous personal interest for me. I traveled to Gatlinburg with my family as a kid, and took my own family there as an adult. Without sounding like an alarmist or sensationalizing the situation, it is mind boggling to think of the whole place up in flames.