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NATCHEZ — Late Sunday morning, Natchez Fire Fighters were still on the scene of a fire that completely destroyed a home on 210 Linton Avenue.

Natchez Fire Chief Robert Arrington said no one was in the home at the time of the fire, family members confirmed. He said family members said someone did live in the home but was traveling at the time.

His crews received the call reporting the fire at approximately 1 a.m.

“When we arrived, heavy fire was already inside the house,” Arrington said.

The fire was discovered by a Natchez Police officer patrolling the area at the time.

“The police officer smelled smoke and investigated where it was coming from. She discovered it and called it in,” he said. “There is no telling how long it had been burning. We still have crews on the scene.”

Arrington said it took until approximately four and a half hours to get the fire under control.

“We were able to get the main part of the fire out, but it took us until 4:30 a.m. to get it out. It was a really big, old house, and it collapsed,” he said.

One neighboring home sustained minor damage because of heat from the fire.

“We took care to make sure the fire did not spread to the other houses. I want to commend our firefighters. This was a huge fire and they stayed tight, used their skills and followed orders. They did a great job,” he said.

“We have no clue how it started. At this stage, it’s going to be a long road to try to figure that out,” Arrington said.