Lodge hall at ministry camp in Red River Gorge area destroyed by fire
A fire destroyed a lodge hall at a ministry camp in the Red River Gorge area Sunday afternoon, according to the Millers Creek Fire Rescue Department.
The fire happened at the lodge hall at the Aldersgate Camp and Retreat Center in Ravenna, a ministry camp for the Kentucky Conference of the United Methodist Church. The fire department said the fire was reported just before noon, and it took crews about 15 minutes to get to the scene.
When firefighters arrived, they found heavy flames throughout the first floor of the hall. The fire department said the fire spread through the roof and it took about four hours to get it under control.
The hall was destroyed by the fire, but no injuries were reported. Summer camps at the center had already concluded, so no campers were present, according to Bishop David Graves, the resident bishop in Kentucky for the church.
The cause of the fire was not released.
“As we walk through this challenging time, we ask that you continue to lift our staff in prayer,” the camp said in a Facebook post. “The road ahead will not be easy, and your support means more than words can express.”
People are asked not to visit the camp in the meantime, Graves said.
“For decades, the lodge has been the heart of Aldersgate, a place where countless children, youth, and adults have gathered for summer camps, retreats, and life-changing encounters with God,” Graves said in a Facebook post. “I know this news is deeply saddening for many who hold special memories there.”
