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zephyr
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Joined: 21 Jun 2009
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Location: West Seattle
zephyr
aka friendly hiker
PostWed Dec 07, 2016 2:22 pm 
Wow. Galiwalker. Thanks for posting that. Good grief! frown.gif Earlier there had been reports about the Chimney Tops2 fire being human caused. This may be part of that. From an article in the Knoxville News Sentinel the individuals being charged are juveniles, they can't release more information just yet. Authorities held a news conference in Sevier County Courthouse this afternoon. Quote: "They await a bond hearing in Juvenile Court and could be transferred to Criminal Court if prosecutors move to try them as adults." Then this: Agents of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have worked around the clock since last week on the case. The TBI has operated a hotline to coordinate reports of people missing since last week's firestorm that ravaged Gatlinburg and surrounding areas, killing 14 people and injuring nearly 150 others. The flames damaged or destroyed more than 1,700 homes and businesses. The National Park Service has said the fire that began on the Chimney Tops trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park before spreading to Gatlinburg appeared to have been "human-caused." The NPS Investigative Branch Services, along with the ATF, has sought information from every person who hiked or knew someone who hiked in the area on Nov. 23, when the fire was first reported. "The public was critical to getting investigators something to work with," said Steve Kloster, the park's chief ranger.

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zephyr
aka friendly hiker



Joined: 21 Jun 2009
Posts: 3361 | TRs | Pics
Location: West Seattle
zephyr
aka friendly hiker
PostFri Dec 09, 2016 6:32 pm 
Update: Friday, December 9. "Playing with matches." !!! From an article in the Knoxville News Sentinel: The teenagers charged with setting the fire in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park that ultimately spread to torch thousands of homes and businesses and kill 14 people were horsing around with matches, sources say. The boys, ages 17 and 15, were charged this week in Sevier County Juvenile Court with aggravated arson in the Nov. 28 wildfires that shut down the city of Gatlinburg at the height of its winter tourism season and damaged or destroyed more than 2,400 homes and businesses. The death toll included two children and a woman who died fleeing the flames ... Sources familiar with the teenagers and the investigation but not authorized to speak publicly about the case say the two boys are friends and live in Anderson County. The boys were hiking on the Chimney Tops trail in the park on Nov. 23 and tossing lit matches onto the ground around the trail, the sources said. A hiker unwittingly captured an image of the boys walking away from the trail with smoke in the background, and the teenagers' clothing helped authorities identify them, according to sources. ... Authorities have said they believe last week's deadly wildfires began with the Nov. 23 blaze at Chimney Tops. The fire initially did not pose a threat to Gatlinburg or surrounding areas, but on Nov. 28, hurricane-style winds hit Sevier County and spread the embers of the fire already burning in the park to lower elevations. Prosecutors would need to show the boy's actions - by playing with matches - directly resulted in the deaths of the fire victims. Any action or inaction by the National Park Service in handling the Chimney Tops blaze would come into play should felony murder charges be sought.

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