On Nov. 28, 2016, wildfires engulfed the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in East Tennessee.

Thousands of people flocked to one of two escape routes, where about a dozen park employees risked their personal safety to push broken-down cars, clear burning logs from the road and direct the throng of cars to ensure a safe evacuation.

Mammoth Cave National Park Ranger Will Jaynes was one of those employees.

“It was an experience I will never forget,” Jaynes said, pausing to find the right words.

“It was one of those situations where there wasn’t a lot of time to think. We had to rely on our training, pull together and do the best we could under some pretty serious circumstances.”

Before firefighters extinguished the flames, the wildfire torched 16,000 acres and claimed 14 lives.

The event began at 4 p.m. Jaynes didn’t leave the park until 6 a.m.

“I remember seeing there was a lot of fear,” Jaynes said.

Trees snapped in half, embers whirled through the air and there was fire “almost everywhere” on both sides of the car-jammed roads, Jaynes said.

Winds of 90 mph ripped through the mountains and blanketed the region with a haze of poisonous gas.

It was difficult to see, hear or breathe.

“You could be talking to someone standing right next to you and you had to yell,” Jaynes said.

Jaynes also remembers breathing slowly, despite not wearing a mask.

“Anytime you’re in a life-threatening situation, the best thing you can do is remain calm,” Jaynes said. “If you control your breathing, it calms the rest of your body down and allows you to think.”

But there wasn’t enough time to think about the life-threatening nature of the situation. There was only time to react.

For Jaynes, a park law enforcement officer, and his 14 colleagues’ demonstrations of courage, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke bestowed the group with the Valor Award in July during the Department of the Interior’s 73rd Honor Awards Convocation in Washington.

The team wasn’t all law enforcement officers like Jaynes. There were maintenance employees, road crews and wildlife specialists leading the evacuation, too.

“What was amazing about the effort was how everyone came together,” Jaynes said. “It was a team effort.”

And now, his new colleagues are happy to have a hero join their team.

“We are very proud of Will and the actions he took during the 2016 wildfires in Tennessee,” Mammoth Cave National Park Chief Ranger Lora Peppers said in a news release. “His efforts helped to save many area residents and visitors alike. Will’s work during the evacuation is a wonderful example of the dedication and commitment park service staff often has to demonstrate to keep our park visitors and resources protected and safe. We are very happy to have him as the newest addition to the Mammoth Cave Visitor and Resource Protection team.”