Jay-Z
and
Beyonce's
mansion
in
New
Orleans
reportedly
caught
fire
on
Thursday
(July
22).
TMZ
reported
that
the
police
are
now
investigating
the
incident
as
a
possible
arson
case.
The
report
also
revealed
that
firefighters
responded
to
the
1-alarm
fire
at
the
Spanish
baroque
mansion
in
the
Garden
District
at
6
pm.
Sources
told
the
tabloid
that
fire
department
took
a
little
over
two
hours
to
fully
extinguish
the
fire
by
a
team
of
22
firefighters.
While
the
cause
of
fire
was
unknown
at
the
time,
the
officials
on
Friday
(July
23)
revealed
that
this
house
fire
has
now
been
classified
as
simple
arson.
The
official
also
revealed
that
the
property
had
been
vacant
for
some
time,
and
no
injuries
or
evacuations
were
reported.
However,
the
full
extent
of
the
damage
remains
unclear.
A
department
spokesperson
told
the
New
York
Post,
"If
they
didn't
get
there
when
they
did,
it
could
have
been
much
worse.
It's
a
historic
home."
The
3-story
house
features
a
main
residence,
3
separate
apartments,
26-foot
ceilings,
and
a
green
roof
with
views
of
the
city
-
including
the
Mississippi
River
Bridge
and
the
Superdome.
The
mansion
reportedly
built
in
1925
functioned
as
a
Presbyterian
church.
It
was
later
re-purposed
as
a
ballet
school.
Neighbours
who
did
not
want
to
be
identified
told
local
news
outlet
Nola.com
that
"people
are
known
to
use
an
unlocked
gate
to
come
onto
and
leave
the
property."
The
officers
also
told
TMZ
that
they
initially
responded
to
the
scene
after
"a
call
about
a
suspicious
person",
but
upon
arriving
and
investigating
they
determined
that
fire
had
been
set
to
the
property
deliberately.