Prince George, B.C. –  It is believed at least five buildings have been destroyed by fire at Ness Lake Bible Camp, approximately 30-minutes northwest of Prince George.

Fortunately, all 17 of the teen campers and staff members staying at the site for this weekend’s New Year’s Camp were evacuated safely.  RCMP Constable, Craig Douglass, says the initial call came in at around 10pm Saturday evening.

Fire fighters from four of the regional district’s Volunteer Fire Departments remain on the scene – Ness Lake, Pilot Mountain, Salmon Valley and Beaverly – and it’s expected they’ll remain through the night, although the worst of the blaze appears to be over.

Camp officials worked quickly to escort the teens to safety (click here for previous story with video clip), and RCMP set up a large perimeter, as there were initial concerns about the possibility of an explosion, with several propane tanks on-site.  Both BC Hydro and Fortis BC officials were out to the property to disconnect their services.  The fire at Ness Lake Bible Camp comes just two days after an explosion during a fire at a log-home building business in Enderby killed a 29-year-old volunteer fire fighter. (click here for previous story)

At this point, it’s not known which buildings have been destroyed – the camp recently opened a new log Welcome Centre, and has numerous large facilities including a dining hall that seats 200, a gymnasium, and a waterfront lodge that sleeps 35.  NLBC has 35 buildings on a 70-acre site, with more than 500-metres of waterfront on Ness Lake.  The camp was originally established in 1953.  It’s managed by a local board of volunteers, but is owned by CSSM Ministries, which owns and operates 43 camps across the country.