What I Saw the Day of the Gatlinburg Wildfires, Nov 28, 2016 - Before & After - My First Ever Video

[@SmokyMountainStarlight]

Timestamps of locations in description above. 🦋

[@shawn.the.alien423]

I remember that day. I grew up and lived in Sevier County when the fires happened. I had just gotten back into town from picking my Dad up in Morristown. Even that afternoon, the smoke had reached I-40. I got my Dad home (he lived near Douglas Lake), and I went to pick up a couple of my friends near Bohanan Mtn. We were curious, so we drove into Gatlinburg before the roads had closed. By the time we were heading back, the fire and smoke were everywhere. The worst part about it was that the smoke was clogging the air intake on my truck and causing the engine to die. We barely made it out, but we did. After the fire, I volunteered to help with charitable efforts, collecting food and clothes to help people who had lost everything. Me and a couple of friends did a clothes drive, and ended up with over two dozen bags of clothes, which we donated towards the effort. If I live to 100, I'll never forget that night. My friends and I lost a friend in the fire...a woman named Pamela Johnson. When some of us were homeless in Sevier County during the '00s, she helped a lot of us out a lot, and fed us from the deli at Fay & Dale's. RIP Pam.

[@SmokyMountainStarlight]

omg Thank you for sharing your story. 😔 I'm so sorry for the loss of your friend and the others, she sounds like a wonderful person. It is one of those times where you never forget where we were that day. 💔The days after were surreal.

[@elizahamilton5599]

I was there too with my parents,siblings, and two family friends, we drove for what felt like hours and every time we thought we were away from the fire we would pass burning houses. We eventually made it to a gas station outside of a Walmart. We stayed in the amazing grace cabin just behind the aquarium. It was the only cabin that didn’t burn! God protected us that night! I take fire safety precautions for everything, I stomped out any cigarette I see still lit on the ground and have fire extinguishers in home!

[@SmokyMountainStarlight]

Thank God you all made it to safety 🙏 That time will never be forgotten ❤ thank you so much for sharing your story.

[@nikkinicklus7587]

Rainbow is a sign of HOPE🥰🙏🌈

[@SmokyMountainStarlight]

Yes!! ❤ I took that at Westgate Resort when I worked there. They had so many rainbows! My Spanish speaking coworker would run and come get me saying "Arcoiris!" 😃 ❤ Westgate was about 90% lost in the fires and has since been rebuilt even bigger.

[@anitacook6143]

My son collected 2 tractor trailer loads of donations and brought them down there when this happened. It's a shame that this happened and lives were lost.

[@SmokyMountainStarlight]

So thankful for people like your son, it was a very sad time for us.

[@helrizor]

The highlands won’t return but something new will from driving past there today

[@SmokyMountainStarlight]

Thats great!

[@Saberivy]

i come to tennessee near gatlinburg and there is another 2022 fire

[@SmokyMountainStarlight]

There was a wildfire in Wears Valley about a week ago, but fortunately they got it under control, and it is out.

[@saberivyshorts691]

@@SmokyMountainStarlight yea for spring break i had a cabin in pleasant view

[@saberivyshorts691]

@@SmokyMountainStarlight that was me

[@nikkinicklus7587]

Love the American flag👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🥰 #Merica

[@SmokyMountainStarlight]

it was a symbol of strength for all of us 🥰❤