Dauphin Bible Camp fire destroys lodge in Manitoba

Fire engulfed a lodge, forcing the evacuation of a children's camp south of Dauphin, Man., on Monday.

Dauphin fire crews were called to the Dauphin Bible Camp at the northern edge of Riding Mountain National Park just after2 p.m.

"Upon arrival we found that the main buildingit's theirdining facility, kitchen facilityand chapel for the Bible camp it was consumed in fire by the time we arrived on scene," fire Chief Cameron Abrey said.

More than 60 children had arrived at the camp the day before for a week of summerfun. Staff quickly moved to get the kidsout of the area while fire crews attempted to stop the flames from spreading to other buildings on the site, Abrey said.

"I have 17 years with the fire department and to see how things moved so flawlessly and how the staff handled everything from their side they are a very organized operation," hesaid.

Staff called parents and arranged separate areas for parents to park, but Abrey said they also made sure to take care of the firefighters.

"It was just a flawless evacuation on their part, looking after everybody's needs, but they were also looking after our firefighters to make sure that we had sufficient drinking water and food and anything else that we needed," he said.

The gesture was truly appreciated because while crews battled the blaze, they were also facing the heat of the day.

"It was extremely hot. We were swapping people out on a constant basis just for watching for heat exhaustion of our members so that nobody was injured," Abrey said.

Although crews fought the fire until 9:30 p.m., the building was a complete loss.

Fortunately the camp already has a new building that they planned to move into next week, Abrey said, althoughthe camp did lose all of their kitchen supplies, which were still inside the old lodge.

The electrical fire in the 41-year-old lodge started in the boys'bathroom, Abrey said. There were no injuries and the estimated cost of damages has not been released.

The camp is about 15 kilometres south of Dauphin, Man., which is about 250kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.