Well, I don't know about the NC fires, but the TN fire was started by arson, and spread very quickly by 80MPH winds. Beyond the usual "be aware of the dry, windy conditions" I don't think anyone could have predicted exactly when and where it would happen. Also, did the NC fires hit any populated areas? I didn't hear about it if they did.
Yeah, in fact I was in Pigeon Forge on Monday with my family.. we noticed all the smoke but went about our day of shopping and lunch. We usually drive on up through Gatlinburg and take Hwy 321 home and as I was getting near Gburg (about 5pm that evening) I noticed a dramatic increase in smoke and knew something was really wrong, so I turned around and came back through PF and Sevierville. It wasn't until we got home and happened to see the live coverage on the news that night that we realized the severity of the situation.