Fire destroys building at popular campground north of Pittsburgh
PORTERSVILLE, PA. (KDKA) — A campground in Butler County is trying to figure out what's next after a fire destroys part of the grounds.
The owners said the quick action of their workers and fire department prevented this from being a bigger mess. Their buildings are close to each other, but the fire was contained to just one.
It was about 10:20 a.m. on Friday when the co-owners learned their arcade, laundromat and storage facility caught on fire. Campers said they had no clue anything was going on until it was too late.
"I looked out the window and I saw a little haze like a little smoke or something. I smelled something. I heard something. I come out and I heard something and the whole building was on fire," camper Butch Potts said.
Potts was in his camper about 50 yards away. In just a few minutes the fire became an inferno.
"By the time I come out, half the building was on fire. The other half was smoking," Potts said.
Before fire crews got there, camp workers grabbed hoses to stop the fire from spreading to other buildings. Fire crews said it took about 20 minutes to get the flames under control once they got there.
"Such a quick response. The fire companies contained things and the wind was in our favor," co-owner Todd Wehr said.
Even with the chaos and the damage left behind, there were no reports of any injuries. The owners say the camp has been in the family since 1975, and they had just remodeled that building. They do have insurance and plan to rebuild.
"We don't know where this started, but it went up so quick that we couldn't even get close to the building," co-owner Keith Wehr said.
At this point, the cause is under investigation.