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Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge Fires [Multiple threads merged.]

Talent312

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Sandy VDH

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Anyone know the situation with Holiday Inn Vacation Club? We are booked there for April.

Lynn

Hi Lynn

It is more towards the town center of Gatlinburg, where there is more cement and less trees. It is also a multi-story building surrounded by a parking lot, so less of a ground cover to catch fire. It is not marked on the list of buildings destroyed/damaged listed above.

I have a Westgate where there are more cabin like buildings in the hills amoung the trees. I think 80% of more the the cabins are gone.

Sandy
 

Talent312

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This from GTS...
Presently, all resort reservations through Thursday, December 15th have been cancelled as we expect to reopen the resort on Friday, December 16th. The City of Gatlinburg is expected to lift the mandatory evacuation of residents tomorrow and re-open the city to all public traffic on Friday, December 9th, which will allow our full resort operations teams to return to the resort and prepare the grounds and resort to welcome owners and guests on the 16th of December.

We have been made aware of solicitations being made to our owner base by a timeshare buyout company conveying false information with regard to the resort no longer standing. These are FALSE statements! Gatlinburg Town Square is sound and is still standing with plans to reopen soon! Should you be contacted by a third party solicitor, know that this is NOT your Management Company and that the offers extended are not supported by your Homeowners Association Board of Directors.

-----------------------------
I wonder if the first person to check-in next will say:
"Could we have a non-smoking room." <ducking>


.
 
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LynnW

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Hi Lynn

It is more towards the town center of Gatlinburg, where there is more cement and less trees. It is also a multi-story building surrounded by a parking lot, so less of a ground cover to catch fire. It is not marked on the list of buildings destroyed/damaged listed above.

I have a Westgate where there are more cabin like buildings in the hills amoung the trees. I think 80% of more the the cabins are gone.

Sandy


Thanks Sandy.
 

Talent312

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(CNN)Two juveniles face charges of aggravated arson in connection with a deadly Tennessee wildfire that began in late November and spread to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, according to Mark Gwyn, director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

Additional charges are being considered, 4th District Attorney General James Dunn said, including the possibility of seeking a transfer to adult criminal court.
He said the youths were from Tennessee, but not from Sevier County, where the fires started. Neither their ages nor genders were released.
Fourteen people lost their lives in the fires and more than 175 more were injured, according to officials. Residents and visitors to the resort-heavy area were among the dead.

--------------------------------------------------
We know nothing about who they are or what they did exactly at this point, but if they're responsible for this, they should be dealt with in the strictist possible measure.

.
 

pedro47

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Two juveniles with two much time on their hands starting a wild fire that destroy over 2,500 structures. What a sad story. This case should be transfer to adult criminal court.:mad:
 

brickey1

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I'm not seeing any updates of Tree Topps detail damage, rebuilding, etc. My other resort Laurel Point hopes to rebuild Building A in 6-9 months.
 

Talent312

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From the Tree Tops Resort's Facebook page on 12/6:

"It has taken some time for the authorities to assess each area and deem them safe to enter. We were allowed to go to the Resort last Friday and can now inform you that Buildings 4, 7, 8 and 9 were undamaged. Buildings 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and the tree lofts were completely burned."

"We have met with the insurance adjuster and are in the process of obtaining analysis from various professional consultants in order to move forward with contracts to start the rebuilding process."

"First priority is to secure the damaged area which will be completed in the next two days. Initial analysis of the buildings not damaged, which is being done by professional industrial hygienists, is that there is very limited soot or smoke and we are targeting to have guests checking into these 90 units within 90 days."


.
 

Kozman

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From the Tree Tops Resort's Facebook page on 12/6:

"It has taken some time for the authorities to assess each area and deem them safe to enter. We were allowed to go to the Resort last Friday and can now inform you that Buildings 4, 7, 8 and 9 were undamaged. Buildings 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and the tree lofts were completely burned."

"We have met with the insurance adjuster and are in the process of obtaining analysis from various professional consultants in order to move forward with contracts to start the rebuilding process."

"First priority is to secure the damaged area which will be completed in the next two days. Initial analysis of the buildings not damaged, which is being done by professional industrial hygienists, is that there is very limited soot or smoke and we are targeting to have guests checking into these 90 units within 90 days."


.

Thanks, I looked on their Facebook page today and didn't come across this info. Does anyone have the layout of the resort? Are the unburned buildings the ones you come to first when you drive up Roaring Fork?
 

Cheapseater

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Driving in on Roaring Fork, all of the resort except building 4 is located on the left over the Roaring Fork Creek. Buildings 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and the freestanding units on the top of the resort are all destroyed. Buildings 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 as well as the office were all located on the left as you enter the resort. Driving in on Roaring Fork meant that these buildings were the first ones that you saw. Building 7, 8 and 9 remain to your right as you enter into the resort complex. There is a video shot by a drone of the Tree Tops Resort and it is a very good overview of the destruction to the resort buildings at the main complex. I am limited in my tech skills or I would attach the video of the drone view of Tree Tops.

Looks like Tree Tops is communicating via facebook and not the internet web. That is not good as many such as myself do not partake of facebook or other social media. Perhaps we will eventually get some information by mail for our ownership interests. This much appears certain, the ownership interests that we have are now in buildings that no longer exist.
 
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Talent312

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You can read posts by your resort on their facebook page w/o joining or logging onto facebook.
There is a box asking you to do so, but click "not this time," and it will let you read the page.
.
.
 

SMRgirl

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A few days before the Gatlinburg fire I received the maintenance bill for Tree Tops. What happens as far as payment due. One unit burned and one supposedly only soot and smoke damage.
 

Talent312

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A few days before the Gatlinburg fire I received the maintenance bill for Tree Tops. What happens as far as payment due. One unit burned and one supposedly only soot and smoke damage.

Apparently, they plan to rebuild, so they'll need your MF's more than ever...
This will all have to be sorted out with the insurance coverage.
You may be entitled to some form of compensation if your use is impaired.
If you have access to 'em, you may want to consult your governing docs.
.
.
 

MULTIZ321

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Chapel of Love Lost to Fire that Ravaged City in Smokies
By Jonathan Mattise, The Associated Press/ Nation & World/ Travel/ The Seattle Times/ seattletimes.com

"GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) — The wildfires that killed 14 people and tore through Gatlinburg also stole an iconic venue from this city at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains whose nickname is “the wedding capital of the South.”

All that remains of Cupid’s Chapel of Love is a heart-shaped pink sign with its name spelled out in Barbie-doll-style cursive lettering.

The white, log building with a green tin roof and waterfall around back hosted more than 20,000 weddings in more than two decades. Some were quick, 15-minute “let’s get married this weekend” appointments. Others were full ceremonies, renewals of vows and weddings built on family traditions that began when parents and grandparents eloped there...."

4d92de257f0e447384a28fd9fe8d8781-780x585.jpg

This Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016 photo, shows the remains of Cupid’s Chapel of Love, in Gatlinburg, Tenn. Amid deadly wildfires in the Great Smoky Mountains, the city nicknamed “the wedding capital of the south”... (Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean via AP)


Richard
 

Rehdaun

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Anyone know the situation with Holiday Inn Vacation Club? We are booked there for April.

Lynn

Looks like some minor exterior damage only. Should be open in 2-3 weeks. From the HOA site, posted on 12/9...
Our team is grateful to have all our structures intact and anxious to begin the formidable task of clean-up and repair. We have contracted with a professional cleaning company who has already begun working to deep clean the building interiors. All linen, terry, upholstery, curtains and carpets must be cleaned and aerated. Repairs to the roof and building exterior will also be necessary prior to re-opening the Resort.

We anticipate that most units will be ready for occupancy in approximately 2-3 weeks. We will post further updates once the reopening date has been confirmed.
 

sfwilshire

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My son had an event at Dollywood on Sunday, so my intent was to drive on up to look at Tree Tops. Google Maps still showed Roaring Forks Rd closed and we were running late anyway, so I let it go. There is an outdoor benefit concert I would like to attend next Saturday, but the weather is looking dismal. I hope they can find a space to move it indoors. Since it is to benefit the town, you would think they would make the convention center or something available.

If anyone is considering a visit to the area, Dollywood was the quietest I have ever seen it (and I've seen it a lot since two of my kids worked there and I had to drive one of them to work every day). The shows filled up, but the rides were walk-ons. No wait at all. We never saw any fire damage. I thought we might from the back of the park, but everything looked normal. Even the highway was eerily quiet for this time of year. No wait to buy apple donuts at the Apple Barn (a miracle indeed, usually they run completely out before I get there).

We saw only one tour bus, when you would typically see many this close to Christmas. They need and want your tourism dollars, so please come back as soon as you can.
 

Talent312

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I first saw Gatlinburg in 1977 (~40 years ago) during a Summer camping trip.
It was then a quaint little town in the foothills of the Smokies. [Photo below.]
I was not happy to see how commercial it was when I returned 8 years ago.
Having married into a Knoxville family, I've been back many times.
My sense now is that, despite all the commercialism, it still has charm...
I'll be back.

18855.jpg
 

dougp26364

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A few days before the Gatlinburg fire I received the maintenance bill for Tree Tops. What happens as far as payment due. One unit burned and one supposedly only soot and smoke damage.

You're still an owner, the fee's are still due. But, I believe I'd contact the HOA to see what/if there are any preliminary thoughts about what they might do for owners. I would suspect they'll attempt to provide some sort of usage such as an exchange certificate of some sort. At this point it's to early for them to know what they can/will do so you may have to wait it out, but I'd plan on paying the fee's this year.
 

GetawaysRus

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For anyone who has (had) an Interval International exchange to Westgate Smoky Mountains:

We had a trade into WSM for October 2017 (at the height of fall color season). I called Westgate today to ask what would happen with that reservation. They in turn directed me to call II. Westgate claims that they will have the resort rebuilt by this fall. (I'm a bit doubtful of that, however. They lost a lot of buildings. But maybe Tennessee contractors are a lot better than the contractors where I live.)

Interval will allow exchangers to cancel their reservation and get the week that they had used for that initial trade back into your II account. You would then have 1 year from the date you cancel to use that returned week for a retrade. You do not get a refund of your original exchange fee or upgrade fee. And if you retrade with that returned week, you again have to pay an exchange fee (and potentially also an upgrade fee if you trade to a larger unit). This isn't ideal, but at least you'd get your week back.
 

am1

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For anyone who has (had) an Interval International exchange to Westgate Smoky Mountains:

We had a trade into WSM for October 2017 (at the height of fall color season). I called Westgate today to ask what would happen with that reservation. They in turn directed me to call II. Westgate claims that they will have the resort rebuilt by this fall. (I'm a bit doubtful of that, however. They lost a lot of buildings. But maybe Tennessee contractors are a lot better than the contractors where I live.)

Interval will allow exchangers to cancel their reservation and get the week that they had used for that initial trade back into your II account. You would then have 1 year from the date you cancel to use that returned week for a retrade. You do not get a refund of your original exchange fee or upgrade fee. And if you retrade with that returned week, you again have to pay an exchange fee (and potentially also an upgrade fee if you trade to a larger unit). This isn't ideal, but at least you'd get your week back.

RCI trying to profit from the situation. Would anything else be expected?
 

Sandy VDH

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RCI trying to profit from the situation. Would anything else be expected?

Except poster is talking II not RCI. I have a DAE trade for Westgate Gatlinburg that is in the same situation.
 
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