Celebrity

Jennifer Lawrence Shared An Emotional Statement About The Fire At Her Family Farm

"I'm grateful to Camp Hi Ho for the amazing childhood memories."

by Jessica Wang
Jennifer Lawrence
Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis Entertainment/Getty Images

After the fire that burned down her family farm, Jennifer Lawrence thanked firefighters and first responders who worked to extinguish the blaze. The Oscar winner's childhood home in Louisville, Kentucky — now a summer day camp called Camp Hi Ho run by her brother Blaine — caught fire and burned to the ground on Friday, Nov. 28. Fortunately, no one was harmed and Blaine plans to rebuild and reopen by summer 2021.

"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," Lawrence said in a Dec. 1 statement to People. "Thankfully, because of our amazing firefighters and first responders, no one was hurt and all of the animals were kept safe." She added that she "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," Lawrence continued, "because it was the only place where kids could do whatever they wanted." Referring to it as "muddy messy paradise," the actor went on to say how thankful she is for all of the wonderful childhood memories she has from her years there.

The family is working together to help Blaine through the aftermath of the fire, according to Lawrence. "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," she added.

Camp Hi Ho confirmed the loss of the farm on Facebook on Friday, Nov. 4. The fire department and Kentucky State Fire Marshall are currently investigating the cause of the fire, according to WLKY News. The news network also reported that nearly 30 firefighters and half a dozen fire trucks were required to bring in enough water to extinguish the blaze. "One of the issues with a rural area is always water supply," Bobby Cravens, Simpsonville's assistant fire chief, told WLKY. "Unfortunately in areas like this, without hydrants, we have to have all our water tankered in for suppression efforts."

According to an email obtained by TMZ, Lawrence's brother contacted the parents of past campers and said that the barn — which housed his office, horse stalls, an indoor rock wall, an arts and crafts area, and a nurse station, among other things — had been destroyed. Blaine also asked for community donations so that he could rebuild Camp Hi Ho as soon as possible.