NATCHEZ &045;&045; Within minutes Monday night a fire at Natchez College on Union Street had engulfed and destroyed one of the campus’ historic buildings, creating giant clouds of black smoke over Natchez and growing crowds of onlookers.

The fire started just before 5 p.m. in the historically black school’s brick building closest to College Street. By 6 p.m. the roof and the north wall had collapsed.

Natchez Fire Chief Paul Johnson said the cause of the fire would be investigated by NFD and the state fire marshal’s office. He said he did not want to speculate about the cause of the fire before the investigation, but that everything was a possibility, including arson.

&uot;The building was unoccupied and it has been unoccupied for awhile,&uot; Johnson said. &uot;For the fire to start like that, it is suspicious.&uot;

Johnson said it seemed as though the fire started right in the middle of the building.

&uot;The first unit said it was through the roof when they arrived,&uot; he said. &uot;It vented through the roof, which means it was a hot and fast building fire.&uot;

The flames could be seen over the treetops from several blocks away and the smoke was visible all over town.

&uot;We saw the flames from Woodville,&uot; said John Shupe who was on the scene watching the fire. &uot;The flames were higher than the trees.&uot;

Three Natchez Fire pump trucks and the ladder truck were on the scene. The trucks worked from three sides of the building to extinguish the flames.

Debris and ashes fell from the sky as far as two blocks away and those on College Street felt the spray of the fire hoses.

Maxine Warren, who lives on College Street, watched the fire from her front porch.

&uot;It got big on that side,&uot; Warren said pointing to the north side. &uot;From there it went on up and the top was burning too. That’s been there a long time. It’s pitiful. It wasn’t bothering anybody, it was just sitting there.&uot;

Warren said firemen had warned her to watch out for falling ashes and sparks.

Johnson said though Warren’s home and others were only a few feet from the massive flames they were safe once the firemen arrived. NFD stationed a fire truck on College Street to contain the flames.

Minutes after the fire started, neighbors from the area headed toward the flames on foot. By 6 p.m. the crowd had grown to well over 100 and traffic was at a standstill.

&uot;This is a disaster,&uot; said John Edney, who was watching from across the street. &uot;That building has been sitting there for years. It’s practically a national landmark and now it’s nothing but a pile of rubble.&uot;

NFD Captain David Williams was injured on the scene when he tripped over a fire hose, he said. Williams originally thought he had broken his arm, but Johnson said later he had only hyper extended, or dislocated, it.

No one else was injured in the fire.