Kentucky

Part of kids’ camp owned by Jennifer Lawrence’s family destroyed in ‘horrible fire’

A WDRB screengrab shows a fire that destroyed a barn at a children’s camp owned by Jennifer Lawrence’s family.
A WDRB screengrab shows a fire that destroyed a barn at a children’s camp owned by Jennifer Lawrence’s family. WDRB.

A large barn at a children’s camp owned by Jennifer Lawrence’s family was destroyed in a fire this weekend.

No one was hurt in Friday night’s “horrible fire” at Camp Hi-Ho in Simpsonville, Kentucky, but camp organizers say they are “mourning the loss of hard work and memories that occurred in these walls.”

The camp was founded by Karen Lawrence, mother of actress Jennifer Lawrence. The mother told Styleblueprint.com she sold the camp to her son Blaine “when things started getting busy with Jennifer’s career.”

About 30 firefighters and a half-dozen trucks were needed to put out the fire at the camp site, according to WLKY. A woman and “some small pets” were able to escape the barn, WDRB reported.

The cause of the fire is being investigated, WLKY reported.

Camp Hi-Ho called the firefighters who responded to the emergency “true heroes.”

“We know Camp Hi-Ho is a special place to so many, and we plan to rebuild and repair so that we can move forward with a safe and joyful camp experience this summer,” the camp wrote on Facebook.

The camp features a butterfly garden, vegetable garden, as well as a lake with kayaks and paddle boats and a fort with hammocks tied to trees, Karen Lawrence told Style Blueprint.

A Jennifer Lawrence fan account shared photos on Twitter of the actress visiting the camp when she was younger.

Simpsonville is 25 miles from Louisville, Jennifer Lawrence’s hometown.

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Mike Stunson
Lexington Herald-Leader
Mike Stunson covers real-time news for McClatchy. He is a 2011 Western Kentucky University graduate who has previously worked at the Paducah Sun and Madisonville Messenger as a sports reporter and the Lexington Herald-Leader as a breaking news reporter. 
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