MANDEVILLE, LA — Perhaps you saw the smoke rising from the North Shore on Thursday evening. It was from a building fire in the Old Mandeville area.
According to Saint Tammany Fire Protection District #4, the fire started at about 6:00. Firefighters arrived at the scene within three minutes and found flames torching portions of the roof of the building.
It took about 20 firefighters to put out the flames.
The building used to be the Howlin’ Wolf, a place where many people on the North Shore remember visiting to see live music performances.
But the building has been vacant for years. Some neighbors say it was often used by homeless people for shelter.
This was the second time the building has caught fire this year. In February, a fire scorched much of the inside of it. Firefighters say the building was already in the process of being marked for demolition.
Firefighters say describe the damage from the latest blaze as extensive. They say nobody was hurt putting out the flames, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.