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Just got a call from a friend that works at the job corp and does fire fighting for them and he said someone had set fire to the tower and it is no more, and they had also burnt the bathrooms at Hanging Rock and setting other fires around National Forest land. Will keep updates coming.
So no more of this?
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l5.../knobtower.jpg
Or views like this?
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l5...broadnorth.jpg
Or dealing with crap like this?
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l5...knobtrojan.jpg
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l5...graffitti1.jpg
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l5.../fagchoice.jpg
You got to be kiddin me. I saw the NFD leaving out early this morning I guess that might be were they were headed, don't know that for certain. I hope these idiots are caught and justice is brought to their ass. I hope none of these fires sparks forest land fire because even though we got rain last week most things are still dry and a forest fire would not be good right now.
Any new updates for the fires? How much damage, etc?
Nothing as of about an hour ago. Talked to my friends dad and he hadn't heard anything new from him.
i have some pictures but can not get them to show up on here
Hate to hear this. I was just up there Saturday. always enjoyed the Fall scenery. I work for Scott County 911 and dread tonight.
Here ya go, I got them to work.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...d1488cf7a2.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...75c6e15407.jpg
How sad! I wonder what the punishment is for someone who does this crap? I hope they find out who did this and see that they are punished for this stupid act of foolishness.
Damn, that's one helluva weenie roastin fire!
This would be a federal offense and would carry a fairly stiff penalty since it is national forest property.
I hope they find the suspects and skin them alive, pouring salt on the freshly-skinned sections as they go.
This is infuriating.
I hope they build it bigger and better and lock the dumb [censored] away. I wonder what order the fires where set. As in wich direction the folks were going
I hope they rebuild it bigger and better. If they offer a big enough reward they will catch the dumb [censored] that did it. I wonder what order the fires were set to see what direction they were goin.
Arsonists destroy High Knob tower
High Knob Observation Tower was originally a fire watch tower, then was transformed into a tourist observation tower.
By STEPHEN IGO
[email protected]
HIGH KNOB "? An abominable Halloween trick is no treat for Wise Countians who learned of the destruction by fire of a treasured landmark on Wednesday.
The Jefferson National Forest's High Knob Observation Tower went up in flames early Wednesday, leaving U.S. Forest Service authorities and everyone else scratching their heads over the senselessness of a blatant case of arson. Arsonists also destroyed a restroom at the Clinch Ranger District at the Hanging Rock Picnic Area in Scott County. Clinch District Ranger Ron Bush said the restroom fire was reported roughly a half hour after local fire departments and USFS personnel had arrived at the tower site above Norton.
"At about 7 a.m. we received a call from Wise County Dispatch. They informed us of a fire at High Knob Tower. We responded with several other fire departments. I got up there around 7:30 or so. As you know it's a two-story structure, and it was well engulfed in flames at that time. The fire departments did a great job, but there was nothing they could really save there."?
Bush said he could only guess that torching a popular landmark was someone's idea of a Halloween prank, but he didn't have to guess that it's a seriously costly crime. Replacement costs of the tower will be prohibitive, he said.
"We're obviously surprised. The High Knob Tower is just a local landmark for miles around. We're certainly disappointed to see this happen. I couldn't even begin to hazard a guess, but I know it will cost tens and tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of dollars to replace that thing,"? Bush said.
USFS wildlife biologist Lois Boggs said the late great tower was probably built in the 1960s or early 1970s. It was originally a fire watch tower, then transformed into a tourist observation tower. The history of a lookout structure of some sort goes back to at least the 1930s, howeve r.
"There was actually a little building on the ground back in the 1930s, back when there were no trees and people had livestock up there. Then between the 1930s and 1950s we started putting metal (fire watch) towers on various places on the district, and High Knob was one of them,"? Boggs said.
The two-story structure built 40 to 50 years ago featured an attractive solid stone bottom with a wood upper story. The most serious vandalism on the structure to this point was the annoying habit of many visitors to carve their initials or proclamations of love into the woodwork.
"Yeah, we're all glad to know you were here and in love,"? said Boggs.
"In the '90s we re-decked it, put in new steps and a new roof,"? she said. "At one point when it was still used as an observation tower for fires, we had it open to the public. There were maps and windows and all that. We still occasionally come up here, even though (airplanes are now used to spot forest fires) to look over the district and see if there are any smokes or anything going on. Of course, that's all gone for everyone now."?
Volunteer fire departments from Norton and Coeburn were among the responding firefighter units sent to no avail, Bush said.
"We lost a lot of property in a short time. The bathroom, a wood and block structure, I don't know, it would probably cost $10,000, $15,000, maybe $20,000 to replace. It just costs a lot now these days to build or rebuild anything,"? Bush said. "As far as replacing High Knob Tower, I'm sure that is going to be talked over. The thing is, the way our budgets are we'll just have to wait and see when the money's available. If it went to $50,000 to $100,000 to rebuild the tower, I wouldn't be surprised."?
Bush said the first step will be for a USFS engineer to assess the requirements for a rebuilding job. In the meantime, folks should forget seeing any more fall foliage from High Knob the remainder of this season, maybe even a few more seasons into the future.
"It's going to be a hazard to go up there and poke around, and I'm sure a lot of folks are going to want to do that. But we're going to close the area and get it kind of safed up. The rock walls are still standing. They still looked pretty good and solid, so that may be of good benefit to us there. We'll see what the engineers have to say about that. It's just a sad thing for everybody."?
I would love to get my hands on the little *&!*:#!!! Better yet, catch 'em and let the guys at the fire station mete out justice. Arsonists should be shot on sight!
A real shame.
It was a group, always is. And there are people outside of that group who already know who it was. It won't take long to find who did it.
$100,000 is alot of roadside trash pickup.
That is messed up. Seriously.
I hope they find who did this, make them pay for the repairs, then burn their houses down to get the point across. Stuff like this in unexcusable and should be punished at the full extent of the law.
I'm sure when they are sitting in a jail cell with kool-aid on their lips and a hurt anus, they will get the point.
I just wonder how long it will take to get a new one built.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: lpdVol</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I just wonder how long it will take to get a new one built. </div></div>
your answer is in the following link:
http://kilosparksitup.blogspot.com/2...wer-burns.html
I heard a rumor today and last night that they know who did it. The rumor involves a lawyer and a judges sons. But I dont have any facts so take it for what it is. Its just a rumor right now.
I hate what happend to the tower. But to be honest, they were never going to clean it up, and take off any of that grafiti.
So, eventually we'll get a nice, new, clean tower.
I think the article said the Job Corp just put a fresh coat of paint on the tower last week.
I had gone to the tower Oct 25. If they put on a new coat of paint by that time I didn't notice - still had considerable graffiti on it.
in the Coalfield it said last Friday (Oct 26) they put a fresh coat of paint on it.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: starbuck</div><div class="ubbcode-body">in the Coalfield it said last Friday (Oct 26) they put a fresh coat of paint on it. </div></div>yep, 5 days prior to the burning apparently.
Hopefully they catch those pricks who did it.
I think if it is rebuilt it will be from steel. but what do i know, just a guess.
To rebuild it with steel would just take away from everything it was and take away from the scenery and the whole ambiance of the palce.
agreed...just a thought i had, or they may have to help prevent this in the future, but again. what do i know? [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif[/img]