photo of the dining hall at Ness Lake Bible camp as shown on NBLC website

Prince George, B.C. –  Full details are emerging from the smoke of last night’s blaze at Ness Lake Bible Camp, northwest of Prince George.  One building has been completely gutted, two others suffered minor damage.  Miraculously, no one – not the teen camp participants there for the weekend, not staff, nor fire fighters – suffered any injuries.

Within three minutes of receiving an emergency page for the fire, the Chief of the Ness Lake Volunteer Fire Department says he could see an orange glow on the horizon…

The report of a fire came in just after 10pm.  NLVFD Chief Paul Davenport says approximately 30 fire fighters from four volunteer halls –  Ness Lake, Pilot Mountain, Beaverly, and Buckhorn – turned out to battle the blaze which, ultimately, completely destroyed the camp’s large gymnasium.  Fortunately, firefighters were able to limit damage to an adjacent dining hall (which can seat 200) and a cabin – both buildings received some exterior superficial damage.

Chief Davenport credits staff at the bible camp with doing a phenomenal job of getting all the camp participants to a safe muster point at the entrance gates to the facility by the time fire fighters had arrived.  Camp Director, Will Born, says no one was in the gym at the time the fire broke out – they had all been in the dining hall.  Born says there were 25 young participants taking part in this weekend’s New Year’s Camp for kids in grades 8-12, and another 20-25 staff members.  He credits program intern Ruth Jutzeler with leading the evacuation.  From the entrance gates, the students and staff were transported by van to a nearby home where they called their parents.

Fire Chief Davenport says crews had to wait until utilities to the camp were cut before they could begin their efforts, so the gym was fully involved at that point – it was a completely wooden structure, with a lot of wood inside.  He says there were no concerns about propane tanks, as camp staff assured them there were no tanks in the vicinity.

"Unfortunately, property is disappointing to lose, but it’s replaceable," says Chief Davenport, "The most important thing is human life and safety and staff at Ness Lake Bible Camp did a wonderful job ensuring the people in their care were well-cared for in this emergency situation."

"Arrival on-scene, we had a steady wind coming off the lake which caused quite a bit of concern of fire travel through the surrounding trees," says Davenport.  "We are quite fortunate that this wind quickly died down."

He says, luckily, crews were able to quickly establish a water source from the lake to help in their efforts.  With the temperature in the minus-15 range overnight, Chief Davenport says there were some ‘frosty’ firefighters wrapping up efforts this morning.  "The temperatures definitely always add a challenge and a need for us to properly care for our fire fighters and make sure that they have proper rehabilitation."

Neither the fire chief nor the camp director was able to pin a dollar value to the loss of the gym.  The cause of the fire is not yet known.  Chief Davenport has already been back out to the camp this morning for a preliminary look and to do some follow-up interviews.  He’s just in the process of organizing an investigation team and arranging for a return visit.

Born says the top priority for camp officials in the next 48-hours is re-establishing gas and electricity lines because the gym serviced four other main buildings.  But he echoes the comments of the fire chief, saying, "We’re very thankful for life that has not been part of this."

The camp’s 10th annual fundraising Polar Bear Dip that was scheduled for 2:30pm this afternoon on the lake has been postponed.