Page 81 - Cityview Jan-Feb 2017

A TERRIFYINGTHE ALLEGED ACT OF TWO TEENAGERS SPARKS AN EVENT THAT WILL AFFECT THE LIVES OF EAST TENNESSEANS FOR YEARS TO COMESMOKIES SPOTLIGHTStory by Keith Norris •WE’VE HEARD THE DETAILS. An inferno blazing outside the Park Vista Hotel. The anomaly of a rare south to north wind, sustained at 70mph with one massive 87mph gust. So ball-sized reballsPhotography by Bruce McCamishwhizzing down the streets of Gatlinburg at 120’ per second, exploding on contact and catching wooden structures and trees on re. A wild re blazing across the most familiar parts of the Smokies and raging though the Spur. The race for Dollywood between a storm front bringing rain and the re threatening to consume the very heart of Sevier county.In the early evening on the day before Thanksgiving,the Chimney Tops 2 fire was first reported by the National Park Service. The report registered emotionally for East Tennesseans. More than a few of us have made the climb; most know the name. The Chimney Tops, like LeConte and Clingman’s Dome and Charlie’s Bunion, are a part of our story, part of our common heritage—part of our identity. We find in the wilds of the Smokies an escape from the pace ofmodern life; we wander the paths and restore our spirit. As our own Joseph Wood Krutch writes, “wilderness and the idea of wilderness is one of the permanent homes of the human spirit.”By dawn on the 28th, the winds had picked up. By early evening Gatlinburg was on fire and Dollywood was endangered—all of East Tennessee and the entire nation were watching.As the fire intensified, Knoxville photographer Bruce McCamish climbed the Chilhowee Mountain fire tower to get shots of the fire burning above Pigeon Forge. He was the first media allowed into Gatlinburg after the fire, and he has been taking pictures in and around the area affected by the fire in the subsequent weeks. His photographsare a testament to the stunning nature of the fire, the horrifying aftermath, and the resilience and generosity of the population as they begin to rescue and rebuild. Bruce will be with us throughout the year as Cityview tracks the recovery efforts month by month.JANUARY FEBRUARY 2017 79