Black smoke filled the air and flames fully engulfed several buildings at the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in Ashford on Friday night. “I felt really sad because it’s where I grew up and had fun when I was there. I have a lot of memories” said 8-year-old Daniela Ciriello.
The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp was founded in 1988 by actor Paul Newman to provide "opportunities for children with serious illnesses to experience the transformational spirit and friendships that go hand-in-hand with camp."
The camp’s Wood Shop, Arts &Crafts building, Cooking Zone, and Camp Store are completely destroyed. “All the memories that I made there were just burnt away” said former camper Chelsea Crochire.
CT State Police Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit Sergeant Paul Makuc described the scene. “It’s devastating. The buildings as they were, cease to exist. They’re burned completely to the ground.”
Hole in the Wall Gang Camp is known as a place for children to forget about illnesses, and just be a kid. The camp serves over 20,000 families annually. When the news broke about the devastating fires, families whose children attend camp were impacted deeply. “We were just absolutely crushed and heartbroken,” said Ciriello.
James & Nancy Krupienski’s son Jack attended the camp for several years. When they heard about the fire, they immediately wanted to help. Camp for their son was a source of joy. “For our son, he wasn’t Jack with the brain tumor. He was just Jack when he was there. I will bring a shovel up Route 44 right now to help clean up, and I’ll be the first in line with a hammer to start rebuilding & painting,” says Krupienski.
Tai Boswell, another mother of a camper said “I texted my son and said 'Get ready, we’re going to go.' How can you not? They’d done so much for so many people.”
A full investigation into the cause of the fire is underway. The Ashford Fire Marshall and the CT State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit are working around the clock to figure out exactly what caused the devastating loss.