According to The NY Post a $2.4 million historic New Orleans mansion reportedly owned by Beyoncé caught fire Wednesday night.
The fire began at 6:15 p.m. central daylight time and was fully extinguished by 8:30 p.m. after 22 firefighters reported to the scene, a department spokesperson confirmed.
“If they didn’t get there when they did, it could have been much worse. It’s a historic home,” the spokesperson told The Post, adding that there were no injuries and no evacuations.
Local outlet Nola.com previously reported that the property was owned by the 39-year-old “Homecoming” superstar and her husband, rap legend and Roc Nation guru Jay-Z, a k a Shawn Carter, 51. The local ABC affiliate also tied the residence to the Carters.
The cause of the Garden District fire — which was contained by 7 p.m. and rose to only a one-alarm status — has not been determined.
However, ABC affiliate WGNO reported Thursday evening that New Orleans police are investigating the blaze as “simple arson” and that the department “received a report of a suspicious person in the area around the time of the fire.”
This was the report don’t by a New Orleans outlet
Developing: The New Orleans mansion reportedly owned by Beyoncé caught fire tonight. It is now under control. No injuries were reported.
“If they hadn’t gotten it under control, it could have been worse,” a spokesperson said. https://t.co/ixDb4QEa5t
— NOLA.com (@NOLAnews) July 22, 2021
Sugarcane Park LLC acquired the home in 2015. The LLC is managed by Celestine Lawson (the legal name of Beyoncé’s mother, who is better known as Miss Tina) and is registered at a Sherman Oaks address where the singer has several other LLCs.
The six-bedroom, six-and-a-half bathroom home was built in 1927 as the Westminster Presbyterian church, according to Realtor.com. The building spans 15,200 square feet, according to city records.
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Beyonce has not confirmed anything about the fire, but we knew that.
Update according to the Daily Beast:
Police say they received reports of a suspicious person in the neighborhood around the same time as the blaze ignited.
Authorities reportedly believe the fire began in the house’s kitchen, where they found a gasoline can and books in an oven inside the house.
Beyoncé’s manager declined to comment to Nola.com.
The pop star purchased the home, which was originally a church and then a ballet school, in 2015 via her management company Parkwood Entertainment.
Neighbors said they have seen few, if any, people enter the house in the past two years.
