Inferno | The Gatlinburg Disaster

How do you move on from a disaster? Though Gatlinburg was devastated by wildfires three years ago, the city refused to stay reduced to rubble. But it took strength, patience, and time. In this final episode of Inferno, hear firsthand how the people of this small Tennessee town rose up from the ash. 

As people fled the wildfire threatening their lives, a select few ran towards it. These people risked their own lives to save others - but heroism is harder than it looks. In this episode, hear from the heroes of Gatlinburg as they recount the courage it took to battle the flames that November night.

As devastating as the November 2016 wildfire disaster was for Gatlinburg, the ensuing months offered little good news… and a lot of heartaches. Loved ones buried loved ones; neighbor reached out to neighbor. Victims struggled to rebuild. But still, one of the state’s worst natural disasters in a hundred years left wounds, accusations and divisions, that were slow to heal.

On the night of November 28, 2016, a wildfire swept out of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and into the popular tourist town of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. When the night ended, 14 people had died, and countless lives were changed forever. On this episode, we try to answer the biggest question most everyone had that night: Why was there no warning? 

On the night of November 28, 2016, a wildfire swept out of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and into the popular tourist town of Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  When the night ended, 14 people had died, and countless lives were changed forever. In this episode, hear firsthand accounts of survivors who were trapped on the burning mountain – and the stories of the people who never made it out.

On the night of November 28, 2016, a wildfire swept out of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and into the popular tourist town of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. When the night ended, 14 people had died and countless lives were changed forever. In this episode, the disaster unfolds around an Alabama couple whose Smoky Mountain vacation ended with them trapped inside an elevator for hours, pleading with 911 for help.