NATCHEZ — A late-night house fire at 128 Brookfield Drive claimed the life of Dr. Ruby As-Sabor, who was special services director at the Natchez-Adams School District.

The Natchez Fire Department was dispatched to the fire at 10:59 p.m. Sunday. Firefighters battled the fire into the wee hours of the morning on Monday.

Neighbors watched in horror as fire consumed the home in the Morgantown neighborhood. Authorities had to prevent one young man from running into the home while it was burning.

Natchez Fire was assisted by volunteer firefighters of the Adams County Fire Services. The house apparently burned quickly, and the fire was fully involved when firefighters arrived on the scene. Firefighters fought the fire until about 1 a.m. and had it subdued, but sparks from a transformer near the home re-ignited it. Personnel from Entergy were needed to cut service to the home. Later, the mission of the firefighters turned to keep the fire from spreading to other homes.

Natchez Fire Chief Robert Arrington said this morning no one else was injured in the house fire. He said the cause of the blaze has not been determined. Investigators will return to the scene this morning. Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten said a call has been placed to the state fire marshal’s office to notify them of the death. Deputies and firefighters will return to the scene this morning when the fire marshal arrives to assist in the investigation as needed.

This story will be updated when more information is available.