Open-Source Fire Science

Case STudy 2016 Chimney Tops 2 Fire

2016 Chimney Tops 2 Fire

Ignition: Reported on 11/23/16 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN

The Chimney Tops 2 Fire was one of several fires that burned in North Carolina and Tennessee during a very dry fall in the Appalachian Mountains. While foehns (downslope windstorms) are well known in other regions, conditions created an extremely strong downslope wind event that drove a pre-existing fire down through the city of Gatlinburg, TN.

2016 Chimney Tops 2 Fire
Start
Figure CT1. CAWFE simulation of the day of rapid growth of the Chimney Tops 2 Fire in Great Smoky Mountains NP down into the town of Gatlinburg, TN (foreground).. Heat flux from fire (in W/m-2) is colored according to upper color bar. Wind speed arrows (in m s-1) point downstream and are colored according to the lower color bar at right.

CAWFE simulation