Firefighters from across Tennessee mobilized to help fight the destructive Hatcher Mountain/Indigo Lane fire that broke out Wednesday. During those efforts, which were hampered by dry conditions and extremely high winds, multiple fire departments lost valuable equipment, including engines, in their work to contain the blaze.
“They were all at the very, very top of the mountain,” Pittman Center Fire Chief Leonard Riggins told Knox News. “The fire just got so fierce and so intense in just a matter of seconds, they had nowhere to go. Life is first, everything else can be replaced. They had to abandon (the truck) and save themselves.”
Pittman Center Community Volunteer Fire Department’s crew was working alongside crews from Sevier County, Wears Valley and Northview-Kodak fire departments that morning, Riggins said.
The firefighters initially retreated into a house they were trying to protect but had to flee again when it caught on fire.
“Luckily, they were able to escape and get off the mountain,” he said. “They all came out with nothing but a few scratches.”
Pittman Center’s truck was a 2006 International rigged out as a pumper-tanker wildland brush truck, which Riggins said will cost at least $300,000 to replace, not including an additional $25,000 in gear.
“We do have insurance, but it will only cover so much,” said Riggins, who added that as a volunteer nonprofit, his fire department relies heavily on fundraisers and donations. He has set up a GoFundme that already has raised more than $8,000. Donors also can visit department’s website at pittmancenterfire.com to donate through Paypal, he said.
“We’ve got a long road ahead of us,” Riggins said.
Ordered to evacuate just in time
A ridgeline away, crews from Waldens Creek Volunteer Fire Department “barely” got their equipment out as crews from four other fire departments fled for their lives.
“They were just below us, kind of on a ridge up across from us, when their mayday went out, when the fire overwhelmed them and they were having to evacuate because their vehicles were burning up,” said Waldens Creek Capt. Jon Lanier.
Lanier said his department then was ordered to evacuate just in time, because the wind gusts had reached 30 to 40 mph.
“You’d be in clear air and then within seconds it was pushing the fire over,” he said. “We actually barely got our engine and truck out. … We disconnected the hose, we probably left several thousand dollars of hose on the ground. We got in our trucks and we headed down the hill.”
Wildland fires can be some of the scariest fires you’ll ever fight, Lanier said. Heavy smoke can make it nearly impossible to determine where the fire is at any given moment, he said, adding, “Until you hear what sounds like a freight train coming up that hill and that lets you know you’ve got seconds to get out. Unfortunately some of the other departments were not so lucky.”
‘A big hit to our fleet’
Wears Valley Fire Department lost its nearly new wildland firefighting truck that morning, according to the department’s Facebook post.
“Like many of the mountain communities in Sevier County, Hatcher Mountain is a series of dead end roads that all connect to one main road,” the post explained. “Firefighters … were at the end of one of these dead end roads attempting to protect the houses from the approaching flames. The flames quickly grew over 30 feet tall and swept across the road blocking their only escape route. Years of training and quick thinking allowed the firefighters to escape into the woods and reach safety.”
The Wears Valley department asked that donations be made through its Venmo account @wearsvalleyfire or by mailing checks to 3339 Mattox Cemetery Road, Sevierville, TN 37862.
Sevier County Fire Department lost its Tanker 111, its only tanker apparatus.
“This is a big hit to our fleet,” the department posted on its Facebook page. “However, the more important part was that our member returned home to us unharmed. Trucks are replaceable, people are not.”
And Northview-Kodak Fire Department lost Engine 44, noting on its Facebook page this was the first new engine the department had purchased, in 2000, and that it responded to thousands of calls over its 22 years of service.
Assistant Fire Chief Joe Fields estimated the replacement cost at about $350,000, adding that insurance will not come close to covering the full amount. Fields said he was setting up a donation account at Citizens National Bank, adding that people will be able to donate at any of its locations.
“It is a setback but I want everyone to know we still able to provide full coverage,” Fields said. “It’s not like we’re out of business. We still have 2 engines, a tanker, a ladder truck, and several support vehicles that respond in our community daily. This is just a bump in the road and we will recover from it.”
Fire still isn’t out
After days and nights of fighting flames that whipped across the dry, mountainous landscape in the Great Smoky Mountains, two destructive fires are mostly contained, authorities said Monday morning. All evacuation centers have been closed.
The Indigo fire in Wears Valley remains at 98% contained as of Monday afternoon. Nearly 2,500 acres burned in the Great Smoky Mountains community popular with tourists.
The Seymour fire, which spanned hundreds of acres, is 64% contained. Cold Springs Hollow Road remained closed as of late Monday afternoon, according to Sevier County.
At least 300 structures have been affected by the fires, which could mean anything from a burnt porch step to an entire cabin destroyed. Sevier County shared an updated map on its Emergency Response webpage that marks each structure that has been assessed, as well as its condition.
Fire crews patrolled this weekend to douse hot spots before they could flare up again.
Go deeper: Lessons learned from 2016 Gatlinburg wildfire likely saved lives in 2022 fires
The National Weather Service has warned the fire risk remains very high because of low humidity and high winds. Mountainous areas in East Tennessee could see high winds for the next several days.
