NEW KNOXVILLE – For Dennis and Kris Gaertner of New Knoxville, their escape from the ravenous fire that consumed Gatlinburg, Tennessee, more than a month ago, was more than happenstance. They say it was part of God’s plan.
More commonly known as Pastor Dennis, Gaertner heads the New Knoxville United Methodist Church congregation. He and his wife are part of a time share condominium in Gatlinburg and checked in the night before fire engulfed where they were staying.
“We were very fortunate. We got away with 90 percent of what we took. There were families who lost everything, even loved ones, in that fire,” Dennis said.
“I told the congregation that I felt blessed to be safe, and that we were thankful to God for His protection.”
The Gaertners were in Gatlinburg on Sunday, Nov. 27-28, before the evacuation at 8:30 p.m. that Monday night. Their timeshare is at the Westgate Resort on the north edge of Gatlinburg. They were scheduled to vacation there Nov. 27 through Dec. 4.
Their son and his family live 45 miles from the resort near Knoxville, Tennessee.
Gaertner told the SDN the Westgate is composed 90 buildings, including many multi-story buildings. The condos are constructed to look like log cabins and with up to eight condos in each unit. He said nearly 1,200 guests were registered there at the time.
“We registered on Sunday night around 10:30 and everything was normal. Our unit was located not far from the resort exit, a blessing that we did not appreciate at the time. Monday morning, we noticed a smell of smoke when we stepped outside our condo to stand on the back deck. Some repairmen who were working on a problem with our fireplace in the unit commented that the smoke was probably coming from the fires out of state. No one felt threatened by a wildfire close to Gatlinburg.”
That afternoon, they visited Gatlinburg commenting that “smoke hung very heavy in the air”.
“The public transport driver was wearing a white mask and we noticed that the main street in Gatlinburg was nearly abandoned. Whereas we might see hundreds of tourists, we saw maybe 20, and most of the shops were closed. The transport driver was still wearing a mask, but nothing was said about a wildfire threat to Gatlinburg.
Arriving at their condo around 5:30, the Gaertners spent time relaxing, then noticed that the fireplace was still not working. Dennis reported they phoned the front desk, and repairmen returned to the unit. They left the room around 7:15 p.m.
“Obviously, there was no thought of a wildfire threat to Gatlinburg or the resort,” Dennis said.
He continued, “At 8:20, the power went out, and while we were considering what to do for the rest of the evening, a knock came at the door around 8:30. The resort was evacuating. A staff member told us to get our essentials and move out. We grabbed what we thought we might need in case we had to spend the night somewhere else, but still assuming we would be back to our Westgate condo before the night was over.”
“We left Westgate for the drive down the mountain toward Pigeon Forge. At points, there was fire on both sides of the road. The northbound lane was closed because it was on fire, so we were routed across the Little Pigeon River and then north toward Pigeon Forge on the southbound side of the four-lane highway (which is divided by the river). We arrived in Pigeon Forge and parked in a lot near the roadblock so we could return to Westgate as soon as the emergency had passed. It never did.”
The couple stayed at a Pigeon Forge motel. The next morning, they saw the news report that Westgate was destroyed during the night.
He said, “Later accounts lead us to believe that the top of the mountain was already on fire as we were driving out of the resort. The fire had started higher up where units were located on top of the mountain. The power went out up there after they had already started evacuations, and we were sitting in our unit wondering how to spend the evening.”
Gaertner said it was quite a challenge to find safety in witnessing the tragic event unfold.
“I saw the mountain on fire. The drive down the mountain to Pigeon Forge was tense. At points, there was fire on both sides of the road.
“Traffic moved smoothly at first, but then came to a halt and we stood still on the mountain. I began to wonder if we would see fire coming behind us. When traffic moved again, it wasn’t long before we stopped. This time we could see a car about 10 lengths up that was on fire and firefighters were extinguishing it.
“We stood still again, waiting. Finally, we moved and in a few minutes, we were safely off the mountain and beyond the roadblock.
National reports indicate federal officials believe the lack of urgency by local safety leaders led to the vast damage and endangering of people. In all, 14 lives were lost and $500 million in loss was the result.
The pastor praised the Westgate staff for evacuating 800 to 900 guests that night without any deaths or injuries. He claims Westgate intends to rebuild and restore within two years, and will honor current owner vacation planning agreements.
