Jennifer Lawrence is speaking out for the first time since learning that her family’s farm in Louisville, Kentucky burned down.
“I want to thank my Louisville community for reaching out to my family and me following the devastating fire that sadly destroyed a significant part of Camp Hi Ho,” the actress, 30, told People in a statement.
Her brother Blaine Lawrence runs a summer camp. “Thankfully, because of our amazing firefighters and first responders, no one was hurt and all of the animals were kept safe,” she continued. “I grew up on that farm, going to Camp Hi Ho every summer. 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.”
The Oscar-winner added: “I’m grateful to Camp Hi Ho for the amazing childhood memories. 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.”
According to local reports, 30 firefighters with half a dozen trucks spent more than an hour putting out flames. In an email obtained by TMZ, Blaine detailed the damage, noting that the bar was lost, and it contained his office space, stalls for their horses, an indoor riding area for kids, an indoor rock wall, a native wildlife display, an arts and crafts area and a garage with farm equipment and a nurse station. He asked for donations to rebuild.
