CHESTERFIELD, N.H. (AP) – A Christian camp’s chapel burned down Monday and five other buildings were vandalized, officials said.
Camp Spofford’s chapel caught first about 7 a.m. and sent smoke billowing into the air for more than an hour.
“It’s overwhelming,” assistant camp director Dave Nelson said. “Praise the Lord no one was inside.”
Camp director Peter Olson said five other buildings had been vandalized.
“We found out the gym light was on. Someone discharged fire extinguishers in gym … One building was vandalized, ransacked. They opened storage doors, filing cabinets,” Olson said.
The Christian youth camp has been targeted in the past, Olson said. “We’ve had little stuff, but it was very rare,” he said. “We’ve had food stolen, things like that, but nothing of great significance.”
The chapel had undergone renovations during the past six years.
, including a new roof and air conditioning system.
“I have other meeting spaces, like the gym, but nothing this big,” Olson said. “I’ll just have to use some alternate facility … The show will go on.”
Olson’s son, Keene firefighter and Spofford fire Lt. Buddy P. Olson, told his family there was nothing that could be done.
“Buddy (Olson) was one of the first firefighters in. He said the fire was coming out of the south end (of the chapel) and the smoke was so thick he couldn’t see in front of him,” said Peter Olson. “He said, ‘Dad, it’s a total loss.”‘
Peter Olson said about 170 visitors met at the chapel on Sunday. He said they left about 3 p.m. and he locked up.
“I walked through the camp and I checked everything else,” he said. “Everything was OK.”
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