Brother confirms Memphis couple perished in fire
Jon and Janet Summers, the Memphis couple missing since the spread of the Gatlinburg fires, were confirmed dead late Thursday afternoon, brother Jim Summers said in a Facebook post.
"I am sorry to report that at 4:45 pm CST the Sevier County Sheriff's Department has reported that the medical examiner has confirmed that two of the bodies found in North Chalet Village were Jon and Janet Summers," the post read, adding that the couple's three sons have also been notified.
While the news was not unexpected considering that the couple had been missing for several days, family and friends still mourned when the official notification came through.
"We’re going to miss Jon. He brought a lot of leadership to the firm. His exuberance for the work that we did is just something that we’re going to miss," said Steve Berger, the managing principal at brg3s architects, where Jon Summers was a partner. "He brought a lot of experience and our staff always looked to him for guidance. All of us, our thoughts now are with the boys and the family. We’re a small office and all of our families know each other. Janet was a wonderful partner for Jon and a great mom for the boys. We’re going to miss her as well."
Jon and Janet, both 61, and their three sons were in Gatlinburg for a birthday celebration, and had been staying at the Chalet Village a little west of the city’s popular downtown area. But when the wildfires spread, the family tried to flee the area by car. However, friends said, their path was blocked by debris. They left the car and tried to flee on foot, but became separated.
The sons — Branson, 23, and Jared and Wesley, who turned 22 on Wednesday — were rescued and taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. All three were recovering Thursday — Jared and Wesley in stable condition with Branson in critical but stable condition.
No one had seen or heard from Jon and Janet since that attempted escape, and friends and family had hoped for good news but feared the worst. That came with the family notification Thursday afternoon. According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Knox County medical examiner's office handled the identification of the remains, likely through dental records.
"It’s significant not only for me, but a lot of other kids our age," said Ryan Agee, a friend to the Summers boys and an admirer of their parents. "(They) were always a second (set of) parents to everybody. We were always eating dinner at their house, talking to them about things. They were very caring people."
A list of the missing from Gatlinburg wildfires
Jon, Janet and Jared left Memphis ast weekend for the quick getaway to the Smoky Mountains, likely picking up Branson and Wesley — who were still living in Nashville — on the way. The plan was to get the family together to celebrate Wednesday's 22nd birthday for the twins, Jared and Wesley.
They booked a spot at Chalet Village, a large property just west of Downtown Gatlinburg that primarily rents vacation cabins. Before the fires, the family posted several updates and images on social media, letting everyone know how their vacation was going.
But on Monday night, a fire that began at a point on Chimney Tops Trail, south of Gatlinburg in the mountains, was stoked and spread by high winds that pummeled the area. Those winds took embers from Chimney Tops and threw them all over the Gatlinburg area, sparking dozens of fires that grew and coalesced into what some called an apocalyptic scene. It was that conflagration that prompted the Summers family to try and flee, particularly since several areas in Chalet Village were on fire.
Firefighters from Gatlinburg and, eventually, from all over the nation battled the flames for days until they finally brought them under control. The original fire on Chimney Tops, however, remained ablaze.
So far, the grim tally is 11 dead, including Jon and Janet Summers and Alice Hagler, who was also in the Chalet Village area, as well as dozens wounded. More than 400 structures have been destroyed or damaged, and at least 17,000 acres have been scorched in what some officials called the worst fire in Tennessee in more than a century.
The one spot of good news Thursday, however, was that the Summers boys were improving. Jim Summers posted several Facebook updates Thursday letting well-wishers know what was going on with the young men, adding that it was possible that they could be discharged on Sunday.
"Sunday discharge not cast in stone. Many things can occur that would extend that, but still positive since we were looking at weeks vs days on arrival. Thanks again for all the prayers and well wishes. So very much appreciated," Jim Summers said on Facebook.
He then went on to update family and friends about the condition of his nephews. He said that Branson Summers will have to undergo another procedure to repair a small leakage in his collapsed lung.
"All, this morning at 6 a.m. Ruth and the attending physician contacted me and advised that Branson had developed a very small leakage in the fire damaged lung, and would need a thoracostomy to plug the leakage and remove the fluid from the is chest cavity," Jim Summers wrote. "This will not interfere with his recovery, and will assist in recovering a partially collapsed lung. This is not an unusual condition, considering the trauma from the injury. It not a procedure to be postponed, and I advised the physician to move forward with the procedure, which is done in the room. It takes about 10 minutes. The condition was found with a routine chest X-ray used to monitor lung and chest cavity while he is on the respirator. The risks are minor from the procedure, major if no effort is made to plug the leak. I have no further information at this time."
Later, he updated readers about the twins.
"Jared's ventilator was successfully removed yesterday, and he did well. It was decided to hold off on any attempts to remove Branson and Wesley from the ventilator until more time has passed. If Jared continues to breathe on his own today, there is a possibility he will be discharged from emergency care, and move to dressing replacement and wound care. No surgery planned. With the exception of the minor setback to Branson this morning, he and Wesley may be discharged by Sunday, and will then have follow up care for the injuries. But out of the woods in terms of critical vs stable. Improvement continues."
Friends have set up a fund to help the brothers. By late Thursday, more than $35,000 in donations had been made at youcaring.com/bransonsummersjaredsummersandwesleysummers-704149.
Gatlinburg Developments
GATLINBURG, Tenn. - Crews discovered the remains of three more people as they searched the rubble of wildfires that torched hundreds of homes and businesses near the Great Smoky Mountains, bringing the death toll to 11, officials said Thursday.
Authorities set up a hotline for people to report missing friends and relatives, and after following up on dozens of leads, they said many of those people had been accounted for. They did not say whether they believe anyone else is still missing or may have died.
“I think it’s fair to say that the search is winding down,” Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters said. “And hopefully we will not find any more.”
He said the searches would likely be completed Friday.
More than 14,000 residents and visitors in Gatlinburg were forced to evacuate, and the typically bustling tourist city has been shuttered ever since. At least 700 buildings in the county have been damaged.
Starting Friday, homeowners, business owners, renters and lease holders will be allowed to go see most of their Gatlinburg properties, said City Manager Cindy Cameron Ogle. The city is hoping to open main roads to the general public on Wednesday.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Cassius Cash has said the fires were “likely to be human-caused” but he has refused to elaborate, saying only that the investigation continues. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are helping investigate the cause.
About 10,000 acres, or 15 square miles, burned inside the country’s most-visited national park. An additional 6,000 acres were scorched outside of the park.
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How the historic Gatlinburg fires happened; a humble start
A list of the missing from Gatlinburg wildfires
