One University of Tennessee professor is on a mission to warn people about wildfire risk.
Henri Grissino-Mayer is a professor of geography at UT, who has been studying wildfires for more than 30 years. Several years ago, he predicted a catastrophic wildfire event would happen in the Great Smoky Mountains.
At a talk Friday on campus, he said another devastating incident like the November Sevier County wildfires is possible unless changes are made.
"This Gatlinburg fire was not the big one," Grissino-Mayer said.
His goal is to raise awareness because the worst, he said, is not behind us.
"These areas, they've burned in the past and they're going to burn in the future, so people in Pigeon Forge need to be aware that they dodged a bullet this time," he said.
Small to moderate wildfires were common in the area up until the 1930s, he said, when firefighting techniques became more sophisticated.
However, that means fuel for wildfires - trees, shrubs and leaves - have been building up in the environment now for decades.
"I just want the public to understand and be aware that what they're living in and all around them is a very fire-prone community," Grissino-Mayer said.
Additionally, he points to the danger of mountainside residential developments.
"We have what I call fire dominos: houses that are so packed, cabins that are so packed so tight together that when one catches fire, the others will catch fire," he said.
Those developments have winding, narrow mountain roads that make escape difficult - and make it hard for emergency vehicles to reach residences.
Plus, he said, so many cabins, businesses and other buildings in and around the Great Smoky Mountains are made of wood.
"That's flammable material. It will burn," Grissino-Mayer said. "I hope that building codes are updated. I hope they revisit what they're making their homes and businesses and resorts out of because there are alternatives instead of wood, and they can build out of very fire-resistant material that looks just like wood and is just as rustic as wood."
He is giving talks like this across the community and the country, hoping to spur change.
"It won't prevent another wildfire from happening, but perhaps it will help mitigate the damage and loss of life in the future," Grissino-Mayer said. "Education is key."
He is not pointing fingers in the wake of the tragic Sevier County wildfires, he said.
"I'm not going to blame anybody," he said. "What we need is a better awareness, better communication. We need new codes, we need people to understand and be educated about what they're living in and what's around them."
Certain plants are especially flammable.
"If they have these beautiful rhododendron and laurel shrubs all around, you know, they're living around fuel," he said. "In fact, anything that's made of organic or any vegetation or whatever, it will burn."