A fire broke out at a historic plantation museum in Louisiana's Iberville Parish on May 15, and full extent of damage is unclear. The Iberville Parish Government confirmed the blaze in a statement online which reads in part, "The loss of Nottoway is not just a loss for Iberville Parish, but for the entire state of Louisiana" The blaze at the Nottoway Resort plantation house in White Castle began sometime around 2 p.m. local time, theNew Orleans Advocateand news stationWBRZreported. No guests were present at the time of the fire, and no injuries have been reported. Iberville Parish President Chris Daigle said staff members saw smoke on the second floor of the museum and later returned to the whole room room engulfed in flames, WBRZ reported. Around 40 firefighters responded to the scene with some finding fire consuming the south wing of the building. "The good thing is that the home was built in different phases. The south wing is different from the center of the home, which may allow a lot of preservation in the center part of Nottoway," Daigle told WBRZ. Daigle said the flames eventually reached the third-floor attic and extinguishing efforts continued into the evening, the New Orleans Advocate reported. USA TODAY has reached out to the Iberville Parish Fire & Emergency Services Department for comment. More news:Starbucks workers are walking out over new dress code. How many are protesting and why? TheNottoway Resort in Louisianais a former slave plantation and one of the largest antebellum mansions in the South. Built in 1859, the museum is located in White Castle, between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. The resort spans spans 31 acres offering various venues, amenities and services including tennis courts and 40 overnight rooms. "The mansion's massive white columns and grand balconies stand guard over the Mississippi River, while on the north side, the spectacular three-story Rotunda overlooks sweeping, oak-draped lawns," the resort's website reads. Hundreds of slaves built and staffed the plantation for the family of prominent Louisiana planter John Hampden Randolph. This story has been updated to add new information and fix a typo. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Fire breaks out at historic Nottoway Plantation in Louisiana
