Fire Claims Lake Rudolph RV Resort’s Main Office

The main office building at Lake Rudolph Campground & RV Resort was gutted by fire shortly after Christmas. No one was in the building, which originally was the home of campground developers the late Bill and Pat Koch, when the fire started after 2 p.m.

The blaze, which was fanned by strong winds, is believed to have started from a golf cart parked near the structure, said campground marketing director Dave Lovell.

He said members of the Koch family, who own the campground, had been using some golf carts Saturday and had parked them near the brick building which had been sided with logs. Lovell said it is believed one of the golf carts caught fire after it was parked, and the flames spread to the office building. The fire spread through the roof of the one-story structure.

Firefighters were about to extinguish the blaze, but not before the roof and ceilings collapsed into much of the structure.

Lovell said, though, they were able to retrieve filing cabinets and the campground's computer systems from the building before they were damaged.

The staff will relocate to a temporary office next week, he said, adding the fire won't affect campground operations. The campground was closed for the holiday season. No other buildings or property at the campground were damaged. The office opened Jan. 5 to accept reservations for the campground, which will reopen April 3.

We're very grateful for the local fire departments and other safety officials who worked together to get the fire out," says campground owner Philip Koch. "Most of all, we're thankful no one was hurt."

Source: Evansville Courier Press