Post: #1

This video is incredible. How these guys escape the raging forest fires in their 4x4 is mindblowing. They complain of no warning from the news media.

Post: #2

Wow. That's INTENSE! Where is Howie Long when you need him?!!

Post: #3

I remember reading something about how Inspire (ISIS shitrag magazine) dedicated many issues to teaching jihadis how to create huge forest fires.

At this point there is no evidence to support this is the case but this has some of the markings of such a situation.

Synopsis of the article written. http://wildfiretoday.com/2012/05/02/al-q...in-the-us/

Post: #4

^ Interesting... the guy in the video even seems puzzled- asking (around 3:18 in that video) "Why is every cabin on fire?"

Either way, sounds like everyone in the area would have appreciated a heads up from the news outlets in between segments on Castro and recounts.

Post: #5

I have seen numerous complaints on social media about the lack of warning time. It's still not entirely certain how so many seemed to be caught off guard by this.

This is devastating to see. Gatlinburg is a wonderful town surrounded by natural beauty. One of my fondest memories is when I took a previous girlfriend there for a weekend vacation. We stayed in this cabin nestled in the woods and fucked all weekend, taking a break for a few hours to check out Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge and go for a hike. The Smokey's are highly underrated with regard to what they offer outdoor enthusiasts.

Hopefully everybody stays safe and the damage is minimal, but the videos I've seen look really bad.

Post: #6

I live near Gatlinburg, you could see a red glow in the sky over the mountains last night. I've also worked on forest fires across north america.

Here's my take:

- Arson conspiracy - possible. Arson has been suspected in about half of all of the forest first this year, however there is arson every year and hillbillies get arrested for it. So, if it was arson it may not have been jihadis.

- Lack of warning about the fire - This was a 'nightmare scenario' as far as forest fires go. There is already a drought here and plenty of forest fires already on the go, however, last night the ridges up on gatlinburg also got hit with high winds. Gusts up to 87mph fanned flames and made them move quickly through the dry forests. The town/city itself is also built entirely inside of forest area. Wind driven fire moves extremely quickly. For example, one new fire that popped up in the morning went from 50 to 500 acres before the wind really picked up. The fires were racing last night faster than people had ever seen. They evacuated the park mid afternoon, then the town and probably 2 hours after the issued the evacuation for the town the winds hit and the fires were coming in.

- Damage - Its like a small fort mcmurray alberta situation. There are parts of the town that are burned but its hardly 'wiped out' the main drag and all of the main fixtures in town are intact. However, there may be some loss of life in the cases of hillbillies living in isolated hollows that could not get out when the fires crossed the ridges. There will also be a problem come winter/srping with steep mountainsides having vegetation burned off and exposed to rain all winter creating landslides, watch for that between now and may.

- Response - locally there are already relief supplies on trucks headed there from surrounding areas, between the churches and general human nature around here charitable relief will be fully funded.

Post: #7

(11-29-2016 07:53 AM)rotekz Wrote:  This video is incredible. How these guys escape the raging forest fires in their 4x4 is mindblowing. They complain of no warning from the news media.

Which media, local or national?

We know the national media won't pick up anything until 10 am in the morning after their morning frappe in their cubicle farm in NYC, Chicago, and LA.

Post: #8

update:

Rescue searchers have only covered 30% of the town so far now that the fires have died down. Death toll went up to 7 today and there are at least 6 other people that the news reports missing. Having anyone die in a forest fire is unusual at all, this is a record death toll.

Like I said earlier, many people live in mobile homes tucked down little roads into narrow hollows/valleys that would have been death traps in a fast moving fire, especially if these people didn't get warnings...totally possible in an area with bad cell phone service, limited internet and no emergency/tornado sirens.

Post: #9

Possible that this will lead to a real estate investment opportunity?

Post: #10

(11-30-2016 07:44 PM)John_Galt Wrote:  Possible that this will lead to a real estate investment opportunity?

definitely, a lot of people with vacation homes/cabins will likely want to unload those properties that are destroyed and just take the cash from insurance settlements vs. rebuild

Post: #11

Just destroyed ones? Or is it likely people with unburned homes will want to move as well?

I have a strong feeling real estate is going to boom in the Trump era, like oil did under Bush.

Post: #12

press conference update just ended. 3 more bodies found, death count now up to 10, still a number of missing person reports that haven't been closed.

Bureau of ATF is assisting fire investigators as well to determine cause of the fire...

Post: #13

If it turns out to be arson, how could law enforcement effectively prevent criminals from traveling out to remote areas and starting fires? It would take surveillance in remote areas and travel restrictions. Seems impractical, like the best we could really do is improve our response speed and get better at extinguishing the fires.

Post: #14

Maybe that's the point Silver.....increase surveillance everywhere, including remote areas.....

Post: #15

I was thinking maybe a couple satellites that scan forests and dispatch quicker responses, but that does sound like something that would happen .

Post: #16

Silver, you were on point with response speeds being the issue. Detection is very fast. When there is an open burning ban due to high fire danger even a plume of smoke from a burn barrel gets found out in an hour or two.

Well, maybe I take the response speed issue back and change it to cost. The response speed could be increased if for every fire spotted departments had the resource to call in a water bomber or helicopter to hit it with water the instant it was spotted, but that would be a lot of money.

Also, another body has been found.

Post: #17

The video has been deleted for some reason. Annoying.

Post: #18

press conference update this morning, destroyed structures updated to 1000, death toll rises to 13. For perspective, the population of gatlinburg is 4,000.

Post: #19

+4 more bodies rumored this evening. Mother+2 daughters, retired reverend. Also rumored is that there are still 50+ missing persons calls still unresolved.

Post: #20

Living in areas like that, fire shelters are a must. Most people that live in cities just can't appreciate the way winding mountain roads will take you away from the fire one second and then straight back into it the next, and by that time the fire has already cut you off from behind.

Sadly the "tree change" urbanites moving out into the sticks after retirement are often responsible to some degree, having a raging boner to preserve every fucking stick that grows from the ground and decrying the bulldozing of firebreaks and tracks for firefighters as "ecological vandalism".

Post: #21

(12-02-2016 06:22 AM)rotekz Wrote:  The video has been deleted for some reason. Annoying.

I can't locate a video to embed. But here is what we saw in the YT upload, pick your poison:

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_f...o.php&_rdr

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/...ng-9361900

Post: #22

Thanks for the links. Their Jeep melted! How the tires didn't blow is beyond belief.

Post: #23

Wow, just goes to show the power behind fire and the unpredictability of mother nature.

Now down to brass tax; What are the chances of arson vs just a natural forest fire?

I can't see any clear motives from terrorist groups, as someone mentioned previously, forest fires normally don't have any fatalities, there are many better ways to stage a terrorist attack. We have plenty of woodlands across the country, and some places do not allow people to operate chainsaws when they are in drought-level dry spells due to the possibility of sparks, so depleting lumber isn't the reason either.

As I see it, there are three possibilities. Bored kids/random arson, Natural forest fire, or false flag in order to bring more surveillance into rural area as someone touched on previously. Terrible outcome either way. I am interested however to see the aftermath on the housing market as John_Galt pointed out.

Post: #24

(12-04-2016 03:07 PM)Ivanis Wrote:  Wow, just goes to show the power behind fire and the unpredictability of mother nature.

Now down to brass tax; What are the chances of arson vs just a natural forest fire?

I can't see any clear motives from terrorist groups, as someone mentioned previously, forest fires normally don't have any fatalities, there are many better ways to stage a terrorist attack. We have plenty of woodlands across the country, and some places do not allow people to operate chainsaws when they are in drought-level dry spells due to the possibility of sparks, so depleting lumber isn't the reason either.

As I see it, there are three possibilities. Bored kids/random arson, Natural forest fire, or false flag in order to bring more surveillance into rural area as someone touched on previously. Terrible outcome either way. I am interested however to see the aftermath on the housing market as John_Galt pointed out.

Likely man caused but not intentional. The fire started near the chimney tops trail so it could have been a cigarette but or even someone parking their car on the shoulder of the road on leaf debris with a hot exhaust. Its extreme drought around here so minor heat sources could have lit it up.

Post: #25

^ thanks for the update.