Guthrie Camp Still Cleaning Up Wildfire Damage

A local camp has been scrambling to clean up the grounds after the May 4 wildfire burning through parts it.

The first of thousands of campers are expected to show up June 1 and Central Christian Camp has no plans on canceling any camp sessions.

"We were getting everything out of the office and all of that and then we were actually on our 60 acres, which is on the hill there to west and standing there just watching the flames move across the trees at 40 miles per hour. We assumed it was all gone," recalled James Wheeler, Executive Director of Central Christian Camp in Guthrie.

"The fire came through and took out roughly one hundred and fifty acres of our undeveloped trees."

Wheeler took News 9 around the camp property and pointed out the charred land, a slab of concrete an original cabin built in the 60s once stood and the shell of a bath-house. It was all evidence of the fire that burned through the camp.

From Wheeler's vantage point, he figured the entire camp was burned to the ground, but as fate would have it, most of the camp facilities were actually untouched.

"There were about 20 structures, cabins conference center, challenge course that the fire got within twenty feet of," said Wheeler.

Getting the camp open has been the number one priority since the fire was put out. Wheeler said more than 60 volunteers from groups who often use the grounds showed up ready to help.

"Cutting trees and cleaning out and removing rubbish and stuff like that so we've have tremendous support from people who call this place home."

For more information on the camp or if you want to help with the cleanup process, go to www.centralchristiancamp.org