NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Fire engulfed a three-story, 150-year-old mansion in New Orleans, though a 92-year-old woman, two other residents and a dog escaped unharmed.
Smoke from Wednesday’s fire prompted the evacuation of City Hall, 1.4 miles (2.2 kilometers) away, and an air quality caution across much of the city. Residents of eight neighborhoods were encouraged to stay inside with air-conditioners set to recirculate air inside their homes, especially if they were elderly or had respiratory diseases, a city news release said.
The fire apparently started in the basement, and thick yellow smoke, apparently from pool chlorine stored there, prompted the New Orleans Fire Department to evacuate firefighters from the basement and first floor, according to a fire department news release.
The first alarm came in at 7:44 a.m. By 10:30 a.m., it had burned through the roof and outer walls had begun to collapse, Capt. Edwin Holmes said by phone.
He said in the noon news release that 82 firefighters from 25 units were at the scene, while mutual aid agreements with four surrounding jurisdictions brought in trucks and crews to cover areas left unprotected by city firefighters,
The fire rose through the walls into the attic, and a four-story apartment building next door was evacuated as the fire intensified. The blaze eventually broke through the roof and into surrounding treetops, but water poured on from all sides kept it from spreading further, Holmes wrote.
Christopher Montgomery told the New Orleans Advocate that his brother-in-law, sister, and their 92-year-old mother got out safely after the fire broke out Wednesday. An elderly poodle also escaped from the home’s second fire in 12 years, Nola.com ‘ The Times-Picayune reported.
City Hall was evacuated after someone smelled smoke and pulled a fire alarm, not realizing the smoke was from the burning house, city spokeswoman LaTonya Norton said in an email.
The house is believed to have been renovated and expanded in the 1880s from one built before 1865, according to the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans.
Its occupants over the years included four kings and a queen of Rex, the most elaborate parade that rolls on Mardi Gras, according to a 2011 article in the PRC’s magazine. It said the second owner’s three sons all were kings of Rex, and the man who bought it in 1906 – a relative of Montgomery’s – and one of his daughters were Rex monarchs in 1907 and 1915, respectively.
Since 1907, the procession has stopped at the house for a toast.
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The State Fire Marshal’s Office says they are on the scene of a house fire at a historic home in New Orleans.
Deputies say that the New Orleans Fire Department is currently battling the fire which began this morning in the 2500 block of St. Charles Avenue.
Once the fire has been extinguished, deputies say they will begin assisting in determining the cause of the fire.
(Video courtesy WGNO)
The Advocate reports that the Queen Anne-Style mansion, known as the Montgomery-Grace home, is believed to be more than 154 years old and was built sometime before 1865. Streets in the area were closed while crews battled the blaze. The home is a popular stop for toasts during the Krewe of Rex parade.
A member of the Montgomery family, which owns the home, told the Advocate that his 92-year-old mother, sister and brother-in-law were all in the home and got out safely. He added that he expected many family heirlooms, including Carnival memorabilia to be lost in the fire.
The fire is classified as a “multiple alarm fire” due to the close proximity of other historic homes in the area.
Courtesy Louisiana Office of State Fire Marshal
Video from scene: Fire breaks through the roof of a St Charles Ave mansion as NOFD battles a 5-alarm blaze pic.twitter.com/4ICIPdp4ed
— Michael DeMocker (@MichaelDeMocker) February 20, 2019
