About the Project
Project Summary
On November 23, 2016, an uncontained wilderness fire on the summit of Chimney Tops in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, aided by winds approaching ninety miles-per-hour, jumped the park boundary and descended upon the tourist town of Gatlinburg, wreaking a level of destruction that was later identified as the deadliest wildfire in the eastern US since the 1940s and one of the largest natural disasters in Tennessee history. Fourteen people perished, more than 200 were injured, and thousands were forced to evacuate. Over 17,000 acres were burned and nearly 2,600 buildings and homes were damaged or destroyed. The social, cultural, economic, political, and natural impacts of this event are still being calculated.
Rising from the Ashes: The Chimney Tops 2 Wildfires Oral History Project is a project led by the University of Tennessee Libraries in collaboration with the City of Gatlinburg and the Anna Porter Public Library. Rising from the Ashes has collected nearly 140 audio and video interviews with individuals who were impacted by or involved in the wildfires. The oral histories include interviews with those who lost homes and businesses, first responders, recovery specialists and representatives from charitable and volunteer organizations, government officials, fire and forestry experts, scientists, artists, lawyers, journalists, clergy, mental health professionals, educators, and many others. More than 40 of the interviews were recorded by the Anna Porter Public Library in the months following the wildfires and were donated to UT Libraries as part of this project. The interviews are preserved for posterity in the UT Libraries’ Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives.
Project Partners & Participants
Thanks to everyone who was involved for all of the hard work that went into bringing this project together.
Project Participants From UT Libraries:
Jennifer Benedetto Beals
Emily Gore
Casey Kaufman
Steven Escar Smith, PhD
Holly Mercer
Laura Romans
Olivia Kelley
Ken Wise
Meredith Hale
Paul Cummins
Drew Edwards
Christian David Rivera
Chelsea Jacobs
Project Participants From Anna Porter Public Library:
Kaila Clark
Kelsey Jones
Get In Touch
If you would like to share your story, contact us via this form. We would love to add your story to our collection of resources.
Images used on the site are either in the Public Domain or are used by permission from Knoxville-area photographer Bruce McCamish.
Disclaimer / Rights Statement
The Rising from the Ashes Oral History Project collects personal accounts of the Chimney Tops 2 Wildfires of 2016, and The University of Tennessee holds no liability for statements made in the recordings. These accounts reflect the opinions of the narrators, and thus they are subjective and should not be considered verified or comprehensive. Oral history interviews may be used alongside other primary and secondary source materials to gain a fuller understanding of historical events.
The Rising from the Ashes Oral History Project collects personal accounts of the Chimney Tops 2 Wildfires of 2016, and The University of Tennessee holds no liability for statements made in the recordings. These accounts reflect the opinions of the narrators, and thus they are subjective and should not be considered verified or comprehensive. Oral history interviews may be used alongside other primary and secondary source materials to gain a fuller understanding of historical events.