Gatlinburg, TN Wildfire Spreading in to town

Loganwayne said:
How far from Newport are you? It only takes me about an hour to get to bass pro

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30 mins or so depending on traffic.
 
Tonya just got this email for anybody that's interested.She takes care of all the stuff involving the condo so any emails come to her.

"As many of you are aware, a massive wildfire has spread through Great Smoky Mountains National Park and into our resort and the City of Gatlinburg. The local authorities have evacuated the surrounding area and we are still assessing the impact. Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa has sustained substantial damage and will be temporarily closed while we complete a full assessment. Fortunately, there are no reported injuries or casualties either at our resort or in the neighboring community.

The resort will be closed until further notice and we will post more information as it becomes available. All existing reservations are being automatically cancelled through the end of the year – you will be receiving an email confirmation of your cancellation in the near future. As we determine the extent of the damage in the next few days, we will review future reservations and what we will be able to accommodate both at this resort while we reconstruct and at our other resorts.

We understand a lot of our owners have lots of questions and we will do our best to answer them as quickly as possible. In order to ensure your vacations remain as uninterrupted as possible, we will be waiving the developer exchange fee for all of our other Westgate resorts and encourage you to make your bookings at our other properties while we finalize our reconstruction plans. We have the resources and are committed to rebuilding this resort making it better than ever.

Thank you,

David A. Siegel"
 
maulcruiser said:
Guy that was stopped had a flat tire. I'd have driven it until the wheel fell off.
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Allstate might not want to running around on three wheels but if the worlds on fire its gonna happen.
 
Some random pics form FB.This one was posted yesterday morning some time.
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West gate
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This is some of the worst things to happen in the mountains that I can remember in my lifetime. Thank god we finally got a little rain to help the firefighters!
 
obullfish said:
This is some of the worst things to happen in the mountains that I can remember in my lifetime. Thank god we finally got a little rain to help the firefighters!
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Channel 10 said tonight that they might not get rain until sometime tomorrow but after another round of high winds.Its all you've heard about around here today.The news chic said she had been reporting since 4am.
 
The latest is there are 7 dead.They requested that people w donations to hold on to those.They have had soo many donations that they are out of room to put em.They are however still askin for stuff like deodorant,shampoo and the like for the fire fighters,I think I read some where that even wanted wool socks.

Several of the local restaurants are feedin the fire fighters and homeless for free.If you ever get up/over that way and are so inclined you might wanna patronize their business to help them recoup some of that $$$
Sevier County restaurants helping Gatlinburg wildfire victims

I think Dolly is a silly ass ol lady and Dollywood is a tourist trap but I gotta give her props for steppin up.Let see what Blalocks has to offer.
http://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/...ing-wildfire-recovery-official-says/94700498/

We might be a bunch of backward ass,gun totin,bible thumpers but its hard to beat the south.
 
@ManglerYJ or whoever else might be interested.Tonya just got this email from West Gate.
"Dear Westgate Smoky Mountain Owner,

We understand you have a lot of questions and concerns regarding the recent wildfire at our resort in Gatlinburg. We are working diligently to gather all of the facts and want to make sure that all information we provide you is accurate and verified. We are committed to keeping you as informed as we can throughout this process and continually providing new information as it becomes available.

As of today, construction crews have commenced redevelopment and clearing the damaged areas of our resort. We have over 1,000 team members in the Gatlinburg area, and a majority of them are working on resort clean up, assessing the damage and working toward getting the resort ready to be opened.

In order to address concerns or questions you may have, particularly as it relates to how to use your Ownership Week either at the resort once it re-opens, at another Westgate resort property or through Interval International, we have established a dedicated phone line to assist you.

A comprehensive FAQ has also been posted to our website www.WGSmokyMountains.com and you can visit the site to find the answers to many of your questions.

Our Gatlinburg Response Team will be available by calling (800) 413-0923 Monday through Friday 9am – 5pm EST. If you call after those hours our Owner Services Team will be happy to assist you as well.

Our goal is to open a portion of the resort within the next 10 days with approximately 260 units that will be available for our Westgate Smoky Mountain owners. Once the date is finalized, we will open up availability for Westgate Smoky Mountain owners to begin re-booking their reservations for the remainder of 2016.

For 2017 reservations that have already been booked, we are actively reviewing how our current reservations match up against our available inventory in the buildings that remain on property. Our goal is to try and retain as many of the existing reservations as possible and then move on to accepting new reservations from our Westgate Smoky Mountain Owners. Except for a few dates throughout next year, we believe that we can accommodate a majority of the Westgate Smoky Mountain owner reservations that have already been booked although some unit type modifications may need to be made and we will reach out to you to discuss those individually.

We also want to let you know that we are addressing much of the feedback we have heard throughout the years and our newly constructed units will exceed the standard set by our older units, including better sound-proofing, sprinkler systems, and other enhancements.

Our owners who come back to the property will have access to many of the amenities that were undamaged, including our world-class indoor water park, a limited food and beverage outlet, fitness facility, our new marketplace/deli and others. As we clean up buildings and finalize inspections and any necessary reconstruction, we will bring more villas online immediately.

We want to thank you for your understanding and patience while we work diligently through this process. We intend to keep you continually advised on our progress either on our Facebook Page, through e-mail or by visiting our website.

You have our assurance that Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa will be back bigger and more beautiful than ever, and we look forward to serving you in the years to come.



Sincerely,

Westgate Resorts"
 
Heard on the radio that two minors were charged with aggravated arson for setting the fires.
 
When I saw that, I figured it was to open them up for Federal charges. Probably will happen. Too much time (5 days) and freaky weather to really get homicide to stick....but, with a federal arson conviction....they'll be wide open to civil suits. Even if they (and parents) don't have anything to collect now....it'll follow them for a long time.
 
jeepinmatt said:
IF they are not guilty, then this is exactly what should happen. However, running down a dry tinder box trail in the woods flicking matches deserves a grade A ass whooping regardless of legalese.
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I think they will get what is coming to them. It may be millions of dollar lawsuits or street justice

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