Jennifer Lawrence has expressed gratitude to those in Louisville, Kentucky for their support after the farm and summer camp owned by her family was devastated by a massive fire over the weekend.
The 37-year-old actress made sure to show her heartfelt appreciation for those in her home state in a statement given to People on Tuesday.
She wrote: ‘I want to thank my Louisville community for reaching out to my family and me following the devastating fire that sadly destroyed a significant part of Camp Hi Ho.’
Lawrence’s family farm also runs a summer camp named Camp Hi Ho which is operated by her brother Blaine Lawrence.
Sad: Jennifer Lawrence has expressed gratitude to those in Louisville, Kentucky for their support after the farm and summer camp owned by her family was devastated by a massive fire over the weekend
‘We are so grateful for the widespread support from the community’: The 30-year-old actress (seen in May 2015) made sure to show her heartfelt appreciation for those in her home state in a statement given to People on Tuesday
Jennifer continued: ‘Thankfully, because of our amazing firefighters and first responders, no one was hurt and all of the animals were kept safe.
‘I grew up on that farm, going to Camp Hi Ho every summer. When my brother Blaine took it over, he applied his creative mind and fun loving spirit and expanded a camp that was already the coolest, because it was the only place where kids could do whatever they wanted. A muddy messy paradise.’
She went on to say that she is working with her family to help her brother get through the upsetting time and that they are doing all they can to get the camp up and running for children in the summer.
Lawrence explained: ‘I’m grateful to Camp Hi Ho for the amazing childhood memories. My family and I are working together to help Blaine through this.
The blaze destroyed a barn and a number of other camp facilities
Drone footage of the barn shows that very little was left standing as a result of the inferno
‘And we are so grateful for the widespread support from the community to get Camp Hi Ho back up and running so we can welcome kids back this summer.’
Camp Hi-Ho in Simpsonville outside of Louisville was ravaged by flames during the blaze on Friday night.
Almost nothing was left of the camp’s main barn which was turned to ashes.
Almost 37 firefighters battled the inferno, which could be seen from miles away.
Thankfully, no lives of either animals or people were lost during the fire but it took crews more than an hour to put out the flames in the barn alone.
Blaine Lawrence is now asking for donations as he vows to rebuild the camp Camp Hi-Ho near Louisville
A woman who had been in the barn was able to escape and some small pets were also rescued.
Jennifer’s brother, Blaine Lawrence, is the owner and director of Camp Hi-Ho. He wrote online: ‘We are deeply thankful that no people or animals were hurt, but we are still mourning the loss of years of hard work and memories that occurred in these walls.’
Jennifer Lawrence has been known to stop by the camp on occasion
Half a dozen fire trucks were needed to bring in enough water to get the fire under control, as there was no access to hydrants to pump water, according to WLKY.
‘One of the issues with a rural area is always water supply. Unfortunately in areas like this, without hydrants, we have to have all our water tankered in for suppression efforts,’ Simpsonville Assistant Fire Chief Bobby Cravens said at the scene.
Simpsonville Fire and Rescue is working with the Kentucky State Fire Marshal to investigate the cause of the blaze.
Locals told how they could see the blaze from miles away.
‘From the back of our house, we just watched the flames and saw the fire trucks and emergency vehicles come through,’ Bennie Crowder said to WDRB.
Blaine Lawrence, brother of Jennifer, is pictured with a couple of camp counsellors
J. Law’s brother Blaine who is the owner and director of Camp Hi-Ho is now reaching out for assistance in the hope the camp can be rebuilt and is asking for community donations via a fundraiser.
Blaine wrote on the Camp’s Facebook page: ‘It is with the heaviest of hearts that we confirm the news that we lost our barn last night in a horrible fire.
‘We are deeply thankful that no people or animals were hurt, but we are still mourning the loss of years of hard work and memories that occurred in these walls.
‘Words cannot describe the pain we are in, but we are so incredibly grateful for the Simpsonville Fire Department and all the other fire fighters who responded to our emergency. You are true heroes.’
Only part of the framework of the barn was left standing after the Friday night blaze
The charred remains of the barn can be seen in this heartbreaking photo
The flames could be seen from miles away as seen in this picture taken by nearby residents
Drone footage gives an ideas of the devastation that was wreaked by the Kentucky fire
He added: ‘We are also so grateful for the countless members of our community who have reached out to support us during this time.
‘Your love and kindness mean the world to us. 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.’
Blaine is vowing to rebuild and open again for in time for summer 2021.
Children are pictured enjoying themselves out on the lake at Camp Hi-Ho
There is a variety of activities for children to take part in at the camp site
The complex had operated for more than 30 years with children aged between 4 and 12 attending the camp each summer
The camp even ran this summer despite the coronavirus pandemic. Blaine Lawrence hopes to have it back open for next summer’s season
The complex was used each summer by children in the area aged between 4 and 12 for more than 30 years. The camp would see a variety of attractions and activities put on for local kids to enjoy.
Aside from the barn, office spaces at the farm were destroyed. So too was an apartment the Lawrences used when on site.
Stables for horses along with an indoor riding area for kids, an indoor rock climbing wall, a native wildlife display center, an arts and crafts pavilion, a garage loaded with farm equipment and a new nurse station was all destroyed according to TMZ.
A lot of the outdoor facilities managed to survive including an outdoor sports court, a tree fort, pet barn, lake, archery range, animal pastures, outdoor horse-riding trails, a hen house and other campsites.
