UPDATE: Jennifer Lawrence is sending love to her Louisville community after a fire damaged her family's Kentucky farm, where her brother Blaine Lawrence now hosts a summer camp.
"Thankfully, because of our amazing firefighters and first responders, no one was hurt and all of the animals were kept safe," The Hunger Games actress said in a statement to People, noting that the fire "destroyed a significant part" of the camp. "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."
"I'm grateful to Camp Hi Ho for the amazing childhood memories," she continued. "My family and I are working together to help Blaine through this. 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."
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Jennifer Lawrence's family farm in Kentucky, which hosts a summer camp for kids, was severely damaged in a fire over the weekend.
According to a message on the Camp Hi Ho Facebook page, the heartbreaking incident took place on Friday, Nov. 27, one day after Thanksgiving. "It is with the heaviest of hearts that we confirm the news that we lost our barn last night in a horrible fire," the message, posted on Nov. 28, stated. "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."
As fans may know, Jennifer's brother, Blaine Lawrence, is the owner and director of the camp. The Oscar winner, who grew up in Louisville, has also been spotted at the camp over the years. "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," the note continued. "You are true heroes. 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."
"God's goodness and protection is evident in this situation already, and our hope remains steadfast in Him, knowing that He is with us and in control of the steps ahead," the message concluded. "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."
According to WLKY in Kentucky, the fire at the campground is currently under investigation. "One of the issues with a rural area is always water supply," Simpsonville Assistant Fire Chief Bobby Cravens told the outlet. "Unfortunately in areas like this, without hydrants, we have to have all our water tankered in for suppression efforts."
WLKY also reports that it took about 30 firefighters to get the blaze under control on Friday evening.
TMZ obtained an email sent from Blaine Lawrence to families of camp attendees, in which he reportedly detailed the damage and shared his hope of rebuilding in time to reopen the camp for summer 2021.
This story was originally published on Mon, Nov 30, 2020, 4:33 a.m.