Mystery as Gone With The Wind-style plantation that's one of south's oldest antebellum homes is destroyed by huge blaze
One of the Antebellum-era plantations in the country was destroyed after a massive fire ripped through the historic mansion and completely engulfed it in flames.
The massive inferno erupted at Louisiana 's historic Nottoway Plantation House shortly after 2pm Thursday.
A giant orange wall of fire consumed the 166-year-old home, which was located along the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
The blaze, which started in the south wing of the building, devoured the upper portion of the rotunda and sent a plume of thick smoke into the sky.
Officials claim the inferno quickly spread to the main house and left behind a trail of destruction. Footage from the property shows charred and collapsed remnants of the once beautiful house.
The plantation's northern wing and back wall were completely destroyed, with only the chimneys remaining on each side. The façade and upper balcony had also collapsed.
Although authorities note it is too soon to determine the full extent of the damage, the mansion's owner, Louisiana attorney Dan Dyess, said in a written statement that the fire had led to a 'total loss' after all the time and money he invested in the building.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Iberville Parish government officials said. No injuries were reported.
Nearly a dozen fire departments from surrounding towns were called to Nottoway Plantation in White Castle on Thursday after a blaze broke out at the home.
Flames ripped through a massive mansion, destroying much of the historic structure that was used as a plantation house when it was completed in 1859.
Mansion staff discovered smoke around 2pm after walking into a room in the museum on the second floor of the home, WAFB reports.
Firefighters initially extinguished the blaze, but it reignited Thursday evening, causing flames to shoot from the roof as it collapsed in.
Officials suspect the fire broke out in a second-floor bedroom. The fire has been contained, and no other properties were harmed, said Maj. Monty Migliacio of the Iberville Parish Sheriff´s Office.
Other structures on the grounds have been preserved, parish officials said.
Before the fire, Nottoway Plantation was a resort and event venue, and its website described it as 'the South's largest remaining antebellum mansion'.
Iberville Parish President Chris Daigle called it 'a cornerstone of our tourism economy and a site of national significance.'
Louisiana Office of State Fire Marshal Public Affairs Director Ken Pastorick said authorities are still in the 'beginning phases of the investigation'.
'We don't know how the fire began and our objective is to determine how it started,' he added.
When the fire first broke out, authorities said the planation's owners were dedicated to rebuilding and repairing the home in line with historic preservation.
But now the owners are reportedly unsure if they will move forward with that plan, officials told WAFB.
The 53,000-square-foot home on a former sugar plantation about 65 miles northwest of New Orleans had a three-story rotunda adorned with giant white columns and hand-carved Italian marble fireplaces, according to a description on its website.
'We are devastated and heartbroken for this loss,' owner Dan Dyess said. 'This was my dream that has now been dashed.'
In a statement on Facebook, Daigle touched on the structure's history of racial injustice during a time when enslaved Black people helped build the home and operate the sugar plantation that surrounded it.
In 1860, 155 enslaved people were held at the property, according to National Park Service records.
'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 said.
'Since the 1980s, it has welcomed visitors from around the world who came to appreciate its architecture and confront the legacies of its era,' he added.
'It stood as both a cautionary monument and a testament to the importance of preserving history - even the painful parts - so that future generations can learn and grow from it.'
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