A large fire destroyed a dining hall at a Maryland summer camp Wednesday, a fire that took over 100 firefighters three hours to control, but it didn't cause any injuries.
The camp Airy, an overnight camp for Jewish boys based in northern Maryland almost a century ago, was destroyed by the fire, officials said.
Camp Airy Director Marty Rochlin said the White House, known as the White House, is historic and known for its views overlooking a valley.
Rochlin said at a news conference that it was just a building. Camp can continue because camp is the people. The fire was reported to Frederick County s emergency communications center around 7: 27 a.m. County fire department spokeswoman Sarah Campbell said. A sheriff's school resource officer and Maryland state trooper first saw smoke coming from the second floor.
She said over 100 firefighters worked for around three hours to bring the fire under control.
The camp is located in a rural area not far from the presidential retreat Camp David. Firefighters used tankers and replenished water with a nearby pond and two swimming pools to battle the blaze, said Kenny Poole, Deputy Chief Fire Department Deputy Chief Kenny Poole.
Firefighters were extinguishing hot spots Wednesday, so investigators can go in, Campbell said.
The investigation is ongoing and there is no information about the origin or cause of the fire, she said.
Camp is in session and remains so. No campers or staff were in the building when the fire began and there were no injuries, Campbell said.
The camp had short-term plans in place and was working on long-term solutions with the loss of the dining hall, the camp director said.
Camp Airy and its sister camp for girls, Camp Louise, together cover about 700 acres and are about 40 and 60 miles northwest of Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
Camp Louise was founded in 1922, followed by Camp Airy two years later, according to the camps website.
The two camps will hold a joint centennial celebration in 2023, on the year between the 100 year mark for each camp.
Rochlin said that they hope to be able to do it for another 100 years.
According to the camps, Lillie and Aaron Straus started the camps to give children in Baltimore a summer retreat. According to the camps, they are the only brother-sister Jewish overnight camps in the country.