By Ty Walker
The Mountain Times
A fast-burning fire consumed the Maintenance Shop in the heart of Camp Arrah Wanna in the early morning hours Sunday, July 14. Summer interns at the popular Welches community retreat discovered the fire at 1:15 a.m.
Hoodland firefighters were called to the scene, arriving at 1:20 a.m. only to find a fully involved fire, with large flames lighting up the dark sky. Despite their quick response, the fire had already destroyed the building. Large and small equipment, tools, and numerous operational and maintenance supplies also were engulfed by flames. The cause of the fire has not been determined at this time. There were no injuries.
The approximately 2,000-square-foot Maintenance Shop, still vital to the Arrah Wanna’s operation, was a complete loss.
The initial estimate of cost for fire damages is around $500,000, according to Camp Arrah Wanna Executive Director Laura Young. Although the insurance policy will most likely cover these losses, the camp will need to raise at least $25,000 for the deductible — possibly more depending on additional unforeseen costs.
An older wooden structure, the shop contained tractors, batteries and combustible building materials such as stacks of plywood and sheetrock, Hoodland Fire District Chief Jim Price said.
The fire may have burned a few hours before it was reported, based on Fire Chief Price’s observations. He gave this account of the fire:
“The maintenance shop manager said he smelled smoke about 9:15 p.m. (Saturday), but he thought it was just a whiff. Somebody was just having a campfire when they weren’t supposed to. The next thing, he woke up at 1 a.m. (Sunday) and it was already fully involved.
“Sometime between 9:30 p.m., when he was going to bed, and 1:15 a.m., when we got dispatched, it was burning, most likely. How long when it really took off? When we arrived at 1:20 a.m., it was fully involved.”
Hoodland firefighters had the fire knocked down about 2:30 a.m. but remained at the scene all night, working on hot spots and pockets of fire. It’s fire season in the Mount Hood area, which means it’s on extreme fire danger alert.
In all, Hoodland Fire District responded with a fire engine, water tender, brush fire truck, and seven firefighters, including Fire Chief Price. Clackamas County joined the effort by sending 10 firefighters, a battalion chief and three engine trucks.
Young is still reeling from that devastating night, scrambling to serve summer campers without use of most of the maintenance equipment.
“We are heartened by the outpouring of well-wishes and offers of assistance from our supporters, community members, and even strangers,” Young said. “While this tragedy feels like another setback in our 2024 journey of service and our broader recovery from pandemic-related shutdowns, we are grateful that no one was injured. The Hoodland Fire Department’s efficient containment efforts prevented what could have been a catastrophic event.”
Despite the loss of this integral facility, Camp Arrah Wanna remains open for business, committed to providing services and programs while it recovers and rebuilds.
“We love our community and eagerly anticipate many more years of service together,” Young said.
A list of needed maintenance items will be posted on the Camp Arrah Wanna website soon on the donation page at https://camparrahwanna.org/giving.html. In-kind and financial donations to support recovery efforts are welcome and tax-deductible.