GATLINBURG, Tenn. (Story courtesy of WVLT) – A federal judge has dismissed multiple lawsuits against the the National Park Service stemming from the 2016 Chimney Tops fire that devastated Gatlinburg and the Sevier County area. Eastern District Federal Court Judge Ronnie Greer ruled that park officials’ decisions about when and how to warn the public were protected government functions.
On Tuesday March 31, 2026 U.S. District Judge J. Ronnie Greer granted the government’s motion to dismiss 11 consolidated cases on finding that Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials performed required assessments and issued warnings as mandated by the park’s Fire Management Plan.
The lawsuits were filed by individuals and insurance companies seeking damages for deaths and property destruction caused by the fire, which left the park’s boundaries on Nov. 28, 2016, and burned surrounding areas.
Judge Greer said in his ruling that park officials performed required assessments of the fire’s potential impact. During the first five days, officials determined there was no potential danger to Gatlinburg and focused on notifying park visitors about trail closures.
“The Park’s decisions regarding when and how to warn the public about the Fire, while far from perfect, represented the kind of judgment calls that are protected under the discretionary function exception,” Greer wrote.
The lawsuits were initially dismissed in 2020 for failure to satisfy the Federal Tort Claims Act’s presentment requirement. The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that dismissal in 2023 and remanded the cases for further review of the discretionary function challenge.
The dismissed cases include six filed by individuals and five filed by insurance companies seeking subrogation.
On Nov. 23, 2016, the day before Thanksgiving, a fire began on the Chimney Tops Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
On the fourth day, winds picked up and the fire spread, but the Gatlinburg fire chief said projections showed no immediate threat to Gatlinburg.
Despite the predictions, on Monday, Nov. 28, dry weather and extreme winds caused the fire to grow rapidly. A chopper dropping water had to be grounded. That evening, wind gusts of up to 87 mph sent embers flying into Gatlinburg, wreaking havoc on the city and surrounding communities. All manpower and resources from the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge Fire departments were used to stop the blaze.
Officials reported that evacuation alerts went out on cell phones, but some residents said they never received the alerts. At the time, the Gatlinburg police chief told WVLT News that cell phone towers were down in the area.
TEMA did not send out a mass evacuation alert because it said it did not have a preset message to accurately describe the situation.
Fourteen people were killed, and 191 people were injured in the fire. Flames destroyed nearly 2,500 homes and left an estimated $2 billion in damages. More than 11,000 acres were burned inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park; more than 17,000 acres were burned throughout the path of the fire.
