Update on Monday's fire and how you can get involved.
Dear friends of Riverside,
On behalf of Riverside, thank you for your prayers and support of our team this week in response to Monday morning’s fire. We are blessed to have so many individuals and congregations who have reached out with their desire to help in a variety of ways! While we are saddened by the loss of a cabin, we have so much to be thankful for. We’re thankful that there were no injuries to people, and that the fire was controlled by our great local first responders to contain the spread of the fire to other cabins. I know many of you have many questions when something like this happens, as do we. Briefly, here’s what we do know after the last few days:
The fire began just before 3am on Monday morning, February 24, in Shepherd Cabin, one of our 12 Hope Village cabins. This cabin was not occupied and there were no outside groups onsite at the time of the fire. Investigators have been onsite this week and do not have any specifics in regards to the cause of the fire. This cabin is a complete loss.
The fire did spread to Almighty Cabin (cabin just south of Shepherd) and there is damage to this building on the north side, along with some water and smoke damage in the interior. The smoke detector in Almighty was working and could be heard upon the arrival of the first responders.
We are actively working with insurance so that we can begin rebuilding as soon as possible, with the goal to have these cabins ready to host campers this summer.
As we move forward from this week, here are some ways we are continuing to provide safe and excellent camp experiences.
All of our cabins will continue to be monitored and inspected by our maintenance staff, including electrical and HVAC units.
All of our cabins continue to have tested smoke detectors, charged fire extinguishers, and clearly labeled emergency action plans in the event of any storm or fire.
As has been the case before this, we will quickly respond to any maintenance requests by our guests or staff.
Many of you have asked how you can help during this season and I’m thankful for you asking! Here are some ways I’d invite you to consider as we head into the spring and another busy summer.
Prayer. Please join us in praying for the ministry and for the Lord to have His will and His way at His camp. This is where we start and continue in all situations and your prayers are so important!
Generous Giving. We are blessed year around by so many of you giving generously towards God’s work here. Your giving helps us not only continue to provide camperships for campers, but helps us continue to steward our buildings and grounds well to provide safe and excellent experiences for campers year around.
Volunteer. There are always projects to be done here around camp and we’d love to have you join us in some hands-on work here at Riverside. This may include: cleaning up the burned down cabin area, handiwork in cabins to prepare them for the spring/summer season, plumbing work, tree trimming/removal, deep cleaning, mowing/trimming, interior painting, and more. If you’re interested in helping, please contact Chris at chris@riversideLBC.org.
Again, thank you for your partnership in the Gospel as we continue our important mission here, “To know Jesus Christ and to make Christ known to all.” We’re excited to see all that the Lord will do in and through this process and we are trusting in Him through it all. It’s all about Jesus!
God’s blessings to you,
Chris Dahl Director
