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- [S73] Rawlings Funeral Home, Book 2, 13 Apr 1974.
James Asa Delozier obituary
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 16 Oct 2008.
By GAIL CRUTCHFIELD
Community Editor
PIGEON FORGE - Just two weeks after a fire destroyed Three Bears Gift Shop, owner Bill DeLozier is making plans to rebuild a much larger facility with a new habit for the five bears still in residence at the site.
DeLozier and officers from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency were at the cleared-off site on Tuesday morning for a routine inspection after visiting Ober Gatlinburg to see its bear habitat and get ideas for the new facility. DeLozier said he's looking at the Gatlinburg facility and at least one other to get ideas on a new home for Mama Bear, Papa Bear, Mandy, Honey and Smoky. The Himalayan bears are secured behind a 10-foot tall wooden fence surrounding the reinforced concrete structure that survived the early-morning blaze on Sept. 30.
Walter Cook, state captive wildlife coordinator, credits the fire departments who responded to the blaze for saving the bears' lives and DeLozier's quick action after the fire in securing the animals. The animals are looked after 24 hours a day by security guards working 12-hour shifts.
"They keep somebody here all the time, keeping the doors locked and watching the bears," Cook said, adding he was extremely pleased with the efficiency with which DeLozier and his staff acted after the fire. "They've done an excellent job under the circumstances. Mr. DeLozier has always been exceptionally compliant."
DeLozier expects construction on the new facility to start in November, with the new structure to be four times larger than the former at two stories and 40,000 square feet. He said Ober Gatlinburg has shared their bear habitat plans with him and he will also get input from the Knoxville Zoo to build the bears' new habitat.
He plans for the facility to have a more natural look to it when it's rebuilt, with natural-looking trees and limbs the bears can climb over. Such habitats, he and wildlife officials said, need to be very durable. Real trees, if placed in the habitat, can be easily destroyed by the animals, he said.
Once the new facility is built, Cook said DeLozier will have to go through the normal inspection procedure to retain his captive wildlife permit. DeLozier is one of the few people in the state to have such a permit, Cook said. In business since 1979, he was grandfathered into the permit system. Cook said he sees no reason why DeLozier, with his years of experience, would be denied a permit.
"He's done an exceptional job," he said.
gcrutchfield@themountainpress.com
- [S4] Knoxville News-Sentinel (Tennessee), 26 Sep 2008.
Pigeon Forge landmark fire accidental; $2.5 million damage
Authorities have deemed the Tuesday fire that consumed the Three Bears Gift Shop in Pigeon Forge to be accidental.
Pigeon Forge Fire Chief Tony Watson said today the fire was caused by an electrical problem, although investigators have not pinpointed the exact origin of the blaze.
State fire investigators placed the dollar loss of the building and its contents at $2.5 million, Watson said.
Flames at the business were reported at 3:57 a.m. When Pigeon Forge firefighters arrived, flames already were shooting through the roof. Firefighters were able to stop the blaze from spreading to the adjacent Pigeon Forge Gem Mine.
Firefighters from Sevierville and Gatlinburg joined in the effort to douse the fire.
No one was injured in the fire. Five bears kept at the gift shop as an attraction for visitors to feed were not harmed. Firefighters used fans to keep smoke from intruding into the bears' dens. The bears have since been moved to another location.
More details as they develop online and in Saturday's News Sentinel.
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, d. 22 Nov 2001 (Age 90 years)