May 4, 20179 yr Firefighters from about 20 different departments are battling a blaze that has grown to between 60-80 acres in Pittman Center, just outside Gatlinburg, the local fire chief said Thursday afternoon. The fire, located off Branam Hollow Road on a wooded hillside, was about 10 percent contained at 4:30 p.m., according to Pittman Center Fire Chief Rosemary Nichols. "It's grown this evening," Nichols said. "I’m not sure exactly how it started or how big it was initially. We just got crews up there as quickly as they could and then called for mutual aid." Fire in Gatlinburg area
May 4, 20179 yr Author We're supposed to be heading down there in the morning. Now, I don't know. I just pray it gets contained and that no structures get damaged and, most importantly, no one gets injured or worse.
May 4, 20179 yr Author Dollywood closed at 2 p.m. Thursday as precautions due to the high winds and pending weather. Theme park representatives said they plan to reopen Friday. U.S. Highway 441/Newfound Gap Road from Gatlinburg to Cherokee, North Carolina, is temporarily closed due to high winds. Great Smoky Mountains National Park closed several park facilities and roads due to significant winds and downed trees in the area. Winds in the park were recorded as high as 98 miles per hour with sustained gusts of 50 miles per hour. Sugarlands Visitor Center, Oconaluftee Visitor Center and the Cades Cove area have been closed as of Thursday afternoon. The following roads have been closed: • Newfound Gap Road • Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail • Cherokee Orchard Road • Clingmans Dome Road • Little River Road • Cades Cove Loop Road • Laurel Creek Road • Rich Mountain Road • Greenbrier Entrance Road • Cherokee Orchard Road • Gatlinburg Bypass • Foothills Parkway West • Foothills Parkway East • Cosby Entrance Road The park said no injuries had been reported from winds or weather, and crews are currently working to clear roadways to provide emergency access.
May 5, 20179 yr My goodness, I was afraid a lot of trees would come down after the ground eroded because of no ground cover. I'd bet there will be some mud/dirt/rock slides as well.
May 5, 20179 yr My goodness, I was afraid a lot of trees would come down after the ground eroded because of no ground cover. I'd bet there will be some mud/dirt/rock slides as well. They sprayed a large portion of the area with the water seed grass to keep that from happening. Im sure they didnt get it all but they were making a strong effort to try and avoid that issue.
May 6, 20179 yr They sprayed a large portion of the area with the water seed grass to keep that from happening. Im sure they didnt get it all but they were making a strong effort to try and avoid that issue. Yes, I saw that in a lot of areas when I was there. But it only went 20 to 40 feet up from the roads in most places.
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