[Magdalen] Update--Tennessee Wildfires

[Jay Weigel]

The death toll has now risen to 13 confirmed with many still unaccounted
for. The parents of the three brothers who were burned--whose names I had
wrong, they are Jared, Branson, and Wesley Summers--have been confirmed
dead. Apparently the family was separated while escaping. Jared was
released from the hospital today, but Wesley and Branson remain in the
Vanderbilt burn unit, in critical but stable condition. So much for these
three young men, who were working at two different places in the resort
area, to cope with!

On Thu, Dec 1, 2016 at 4:22 PM, Jay Weigel <jay.weigel at gmail.com> wrote:

> The death toll has now risen to 10. The identities of most have not yet
> been confirmed pending notification of families. They don't even know yet
> how many are missing.
>
> On Thu, Dec 1, 2016 at 2:05 PM, James Oppenheimer-Crawford <
> oppenheimerjw at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I keep reading little things here and there about this truly amazing
>> American treasure. That Ms Parton has stepped up comes as no surprise.
>>
>> I enjoyed the movie about her childhood, and the multicolored coat, and I
>> look forward to the sequel.
>>
>> James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
>> *“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved,
>> except in memory. LLAP**”  -- *Leonard Nimoy
>>
>> On Thu, Dec 1, 2016 at 9:37 AM, Jay Weigel <jay.weigel at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> > The count so far: 7 known dead; an unknown number missing, although 10
>> are
>> > confirmed; over 700 buildings destroyed. As of yesterday evening, here
>> are
>> > the statistics from the Southern Red Fire Team, which has assumed
>> control:
>> > the fire is about 10% contained. The fire covers about 15,653 acres. The
>> > area around the fire received 1.2 to 1.7 inches of rain, but the area
>> is in
>> > the midst of a months-long drought. There are currently 9 crews, 22
>> > engines, 7 helicopters, 4 dozers and 285 personnel working the fire.
>> >
>> > Other bits of news, good and bad, that I have gleaned:
>> >
>> > My friend Steve did not lose his house. The fire came close, but he was
>> > able to go back yesterday, and the house was okay. Deo gratias!
>> >
>> > The first victim of the fire has been identified.Alice Hagler, 70, had
>> been
>> > on the phone with her son, telling him that the house was on fire. He
>> told
>> > her to get out, but she had bilateral hip replacements and did not get
>> > around well.She was unable to escape the fire.
>> >
>> > Three brothers from the same family, Branson, Wesley, and Phillip, are
>> in
>> > critical but stable condition in the Vanderbilt burn unit. Their parents
>> > are among those reported missing. There is another person in the UT
>> > hospital burn unit.
>> >
>> > Dolly Parton, a Sevier County homegirl, has pledged $1000 per month for
>> 6
>> > months through her Dollywood Foundation to every family who lost their
>> > home. That's our girl!
>> >
>> > One of the first groups to collect and send supplies was the Knoxville
>> > Muslim charitable association, which immediately loaded up a truck with
>> > bottled water, snacks, etc. for firefighters and service workers as
>> well as
>> > for those in shelters and continues to load another.
>> >
>>
>
>