NBC29Fatal Fire at Boy Scout Camp

Fatal Fire at Boy Scout Camp

Virginia State Police are investigating the cause of a fire that broke out early Friday at a Boy Scout camp in Augusta County, killing an adult male. Camp Shenandoah is a Boy Scouts camp located near the town of Swoope.

State police Sergeant Les Tyler says the fire started about 4:10 a.m. in a building that houses Camp Shenandoah's trading post and some offices. Firefighters found the trading post building fully engulfed in flames.

According to Carson Holloway, "They got confirmation from people here that there was entrapment. They tried making entry, but fire was too intense, too much involvement. They knocked it down from the outside and then they made entry."

Firefighters were able to stop the fire from spreading.  They say it was difficult due to the close proximity of trees and other buildings, but they were able to keep the fire contained to the trading post.  

Investigators believe th eblaze may have started near the front-right corner of the trading post, which also houses offices and small sleeping quarters.

The identity of the person inside won't be confirmed until after a medical exam. But the victim is believed to be an adult male, possibly a 20-year-old. No one else was injured.

Frederick Tyler said, "All the boy scouts that were on the premises are accounted for, and not involved in this incident."

Don Eillis with the Scouts' Stonewall Jackson Area Council says there were 107 Scouts and 80 adults at the camp when the blaze broke out. Ellis says the Scouts were fourth- and fifth-graders.

The Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating the cause of the fire. "They look for different types of charring of the wood or the structure. They go through extensive training on how to determine the cause and the origin," said Tyler.

Campers who were there were supposed to be going home Saturday morning, but they all left Friday morning after saying prayers for the firefighters and the victim.

Reported by Ken Slack
See Bio / Email

For Immediate Release:
August 7, 2009

VIRGINIA STATE POLICE INVESTIGATING FATAL FIRE ON CAMPGROUNDS

STAUNTON, Va., - The Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating the cause of a fatal fire at Camp Shenandoah located in the 200 block of Boy Scout Lane in Augusta County, west of Staunton, Va.

Special agents were notified about the fatal fire at 5:13 a.m. on Friday, August 7, 2009.

The preliminary investigation indicates the victim is an adult. State police are waiting for confirmation from the Medical Examiner’s Office on the identity of the individual. There were no other injuries.

The fire occurred in a building on the campgrounds and the cause remains under investigation.