A popular seasonal camping destination in the Township of Highlands East in Haliburton County suffered major damage from a fire on Thursday evening (January 5).
The Homestead Trailer Park, located at the north end of Eels Lake between Apsley and Bancroft, offers 150 camping sites on its 45-acre property — many of which are occupied by trailers.
At around 7 p.m. on Thursday, a local called 911 to report the fire. As the trailer park is closed for the winter season, there was no-one at the property when the fire broke out.
Highlands East fire chief Chris Baughman tells kawarthaNOW that between 20 and 25 volunteer firefighters responded to the fire.
As a locked gate prevented direct access to the property, firefighters used side-by-side ATVs with tracks to get to the fire and pumped water from the lake to bring the fire under control.
According to Baughman, two buildings were destroyed in the fire: the on-site store and an adjoining building used to store boats, ATVs, and more.
Owners John and Diane Doomernik were in Florida at the time of the fire.
“We are blessed that no one was in the park, but my heart has been broken that I’ve lost my store,” Diane wrote in the park’s private Facebook group, adding that her husband would be taking a flight back to Canada as soon as possible.
Baughman, who spoke to the owners on Thursday night, says the cause of the fire has not yet been determined. Fire services will be at the property on Friday to assess possible causes.
The Homestead Trailer Park was originally established in the early 1960s and has become a popular summer camping destination, with many long-time seasonal residents having trailers at the park.
