Fire destroys Hideaway Campground office/restaurant 

Fire destroys Hideaway Campground office/restaurant 

‘There was a hell of a ball of fire.’

By Allison Scarbrough, Editor

GOLDEN TOWNSHIP — Fire leveled a campground office and restaurant building at the Hideaway Campground on Silver Lake Road during the early morning hours of Thursday, June 22, according to Hart Fire Chief Dwight Fuehring.

No one was injured in the blaze, but the building is a total loss. Fire departments were dispatched to the scene at 12:25 a.m., said the chief, and cleared the scene around 4 a.m.

“It was an office, store and restaurant,” said Fuehring of the approximate 6,400-square-foot pole barn structure. It was insured.

Firefighters from Hart, Pentwater, Shelby-Benona, Walkerville, Ferry Township and Grant Township battled the blaze in the hot, dry conditions. The Michigan DNR also assisted.

Nothing else in the campground, such camper trailers, caught fire. “There was an adjoining shed that was just a couple feet off the main building, and that burned, but it was a little storage shed.”

The cause of the fire has not been determined and is being investigated. 

“Upon arrival, there was a big propane tank that was just about 20 feet off the building, and it was getting very hot and started blowing off. That was one of the main concerns. On Spencer Drive, there were some houses over there that people were self-evacuating from. They didn’t go anywhere — we told them just to hang tight. There was no danger to their house or property, but they were nervous because there was a hell of a ball of fire behind their house.

“It went up very quick,” said the chief. “By the time we got there, it was fully involved. We couldn’t get too many trucks very close because of the heat of the fire. It was so hot.

“There were a few spot fires out in the campground in the dry grass, and the campers took care of those and put those out.”

Please consider helping to fund local news. Mason County Press and Oceana County Press are available for free thanks to the generous support of our advertisers and individuals. Three ways to help us: Venmo: @MasonCountyPress; Paypal: MasonCountyPress@gmail.com; Mail a check to PO BOX 21, Scottville, MI 49454.

This story is copyrighted © 2023, all rights reserved by Media Group 31, LLC, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. No portion of this story or images may be reproduced in any way, including print or broadcast, without expressed written consent.

As the services of Media Group 31, LLC are news services, the information posted within the sites are archivable for public record and historical posterity. For this reason it is the policy and practice of this company to not delete postings. It is the editor’s discretion to update or edit a story when/if new information becomes available. This may be done by editing the posted story or posting a new “follow-up” story. Media Group 31, LLC or any of its agents have the right to make any changes to this policy. Refer to Use Policy for more information.