Sunday was supposed to be an easy day, especially with Monday being Labor Day.

Fate had other plans, however, as my cellphone let me know by blowing up just before 8 a.m. Sunday morning with numerous text alerts.

First reports were that a bad fire had severely damaged the old Prentiss Club building overnight.

As I was jumping around trying to pull my clothes on, respond to text messages, grab my notepad and pen to head out the door my cellphone kept pinging with text alerts.

I jumped into the pickup truck and headed the few blocks over to Pearl Street, from where black smoke was rising and drifting throughout downtown Natchez.

The fire was still happening.

I parked as close as I could to the building at Pearl and Jefferson streets and walked to the corner, where I began taking pictures and video and watching Natchez firefighters battle the blaze that was shooting flames through the northeast corner of the roof.

Firehoses were trained on the flames, particularly the roof, which slowly but surely buckled under the flames with portions of the red tiles falling off to the concrete sidewalk with great crashing sounds and sending more black smoke into the air.

Firefighters and other rescue workers cautioned bystanders, most of whom were recording the event on their cellphone cameras as I was, to back up.

Water from the firehoses rained down on people who were too close and the thick smoke made it difficult to breathe.

The crowd watching the spectacle was clearly saddened by the loss.

“Terrible!” “It’s a tragedy.” “Can’t replace it,” people said.

Most everyone in the crowd lamented the potential loss of another Natchez landmark and had hopes the fire would be out in time to save the building.

Mimi Miller, Natchez Historic Foundation executive director, was among the bystanders. As the firefighters managed to get the flames under control, Miller expressed some optimism the building could be saved.

Miller noted the curtains were still on the bottom floor windows of the north side and none of the windows had blown out. Perhaps, she said, the building could be preserved.

I was familiar with the old Prentiss Club building only because I had written a story about it when Fred and Melinda Kent of Shreveport had purchased it back in June with plans to make it into a museum and event venue.

I knew they had been working on the building but had not been aware they were nearing completion with plans to open next week, until I saw Natchez Mayor Darryl Grennell watching the firefighters battle the blaze. As I was talking to him, his cellphone rang and it was Melinda Kent.

Grennell gave her an update and handed the cellphone to me. She expressed her sorrow at the situation, said the renovations were almost complete, and that they had planned to open the venue next week.

I expressed my sorrow and handed the cellphone back to Grennell.

Natchez firefighters worked heroically to put the flames out, keep the fire from spreading to other structures and to save whatever they could of the old Prentiss Club building. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured in the effort.

Meanwhile, the Kents are awaiting expert opinion before deciding on the building’s future.

Natchez residents mourned the potential loss of the building as evidenced not only by numerous social media posts acknowledging the loss, but also by their sentiments to the Kents, who contacted me later Sunday afternoon to say they were grateful and touched by the overwhelming outpouring of “love and concern by the citizens in Natchez.”

My response to the Kents was “Natchez people are great.”

Scott Hawkins is the editor of The Natchez Democrat. Reach him at 601-445-3540 or scott.hawkins@natchezdemocrat.com.