OCONTO COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A storage building at Bear Paw Scout Camp near Mountain, partially collapsed last week.
No one was hurt, but scout leaders are just beginning to assess the damage.
“The walls were kind of shifting and moving, a little bit. But literally within those just few seconds, just poof and it was gone,” said Andy Anderson, Bear Paw Scout Camp Ranger.
Anderson tells FOX 11 in 24 years at the camp, he’s never seen anything like it.
“The only thing with real loss is going to be our sailboat fleet, which is under the section of the building that collapsed.”
For decades, Anderson says the building also served as the dining hall.
“We figured it out. Over a million meals were served, through this building over the years to scouts.”
Scouting banners from years past still hang on the walls.
“You can actually see the damage from this side. The other side just has the snow cover on it, So it’s pretty much buried.”
Anderson says a structural engineer is scheduled to inspect the site today. He says any spring-like weather will help the cleanup effort.
“We’ll see just how bad the damage is, once we can start pulling the old structure off.”
Bear Paw is located east of Mountain in Oconto County.
Throughout the year, about 5,800 scouts take part in programs at the camp.
