'Nottoway Plantation was destroyed': Fire decimates a historic Louisiana mansion
Crews continued to douse water onto Louisiana's Nottoway Plantation on Friday morning, May 16, after a devastating fire decimated the historic mansion.
First responders from various agencies battled the blaze in Iberville Parish since Thursday night while an investigation into the cause is underway, according to Ken Pastorick, Louisiana's State Fire Marshal Public Affairs Director.
"Nottoway Plantation was destroyed," Pastorick told Paste BN. "It's a shell. It's an extensive fire. When you have a building that's that old, made out of cypress wood, it's a tinder box that went up pretty quick and burned very hot."
The blaze began sometime shortly after 2 p.m. local time and no guests were present at the time, Pastorick confirmed.
Photos published by local outlet WVUE showed the home, which dates back to the antebellum South and was once home to enslaved Americans, ruined by the fire that sparked on May 15.
In a Facebook post on May 15, Chris Daigle, president of Iberville Parish's government, said there were no injuries reported in the fire.
"Today, Iberville Parish mourns the loss of one of its most iconic landmarks," Daigle wrote, adding that the site dates back to 1859 and is the largest remaining antebellum mansion in the South. The estate had been used as a museum and wedding venue prior to the fire.
"The loss of Nottoway is not just a loss for Iberville Parish, but for the entire state of Louisiana," Daigle said. "It was a cornerstone of our tourism economy and a site of national significance."
Paste BN has reached out to the Iberville Parish Fire & Emergency Services Department for comment.
What is Nottoway Plantation?
Nottoway Plantation sits on a 31-acre property in White Castle, a town in Iberville Parish.
The house was built in 1859 and owned by prominent Louisiana planter John Hampden Randolph, according to Louisiana State University. The property housed Randolph's family as well as his slaves.
Prior to the blaze, the property was used as a museum and wedding venue.
In addition to the property's main mansion, there are several ballrooms, cottages, a tennis court and other amenities on site.
"While its early history is undeniably tied to a time of great injustice, over the last several decades it evolved into a place of reflection, education, and dialogue," Daigle wrote on Facebook.
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for Paste BN. She can be reached at melina.khan@usatoday.com.
This story has been updated to add new information.