NATCHITOCHES – A fire broke out at the childhood home of the late Natchitoches Mayor on Wednesday night. 

The Natchitoches Parish Sheriff's Department, along with Natchitoches Fire District 1,4,6 and 9 responded to calls of a house fire in the 500 block of LA 495 in Cloutierville around 8:30 p.m.  

The sheriff's office says the home was fully engulfed in flames upon deputies' arrival. The home was not occupied and the structure was reportedly more than 100 years old.

After crews battled the fire for more the two hours, the home was completely destroyed, the sheriff's office says. 

The cause of the fire is not known at the time of this post, however residents in the area reported lightning strikes on Wednesday afternoon that caused power outages. The sheriff's office says the home was were late Natchitoches Mayor Joe Sampite grew up.