NATCHEZ &045; Members of the Skipper family have lived in this house for a long, long time.

&uot;This is my dad’s daddy’s house,&uot; Henry Skipper said.

That house, a small white structure south of Natchez on Lower Woodville Road, burned almost to the ground Wednesday night, taking pretty much everything Henry and his wife Harriet and their young son owned along with it.

The house was empty when the fire began, and no one was injured. Henry and Harriet were at a relative’s house having a large dinner with some family members who had evacuated Lake Charles, La., when Hurricane Rita came through last week.

&uot;My auntie called us and we came here,&uot; Henry said. &uot;When I saw (the flames), I knew there wasn’t anything they could do. I just thank the Lord none of us were in there.&uot;

Several cousins from Lake Charles had been staying with the Skippers at the house this week.

Henry has lived there off and on for most of his life, but he and Harriet moved in permanently eight years ago when they were married.

The Skippers have no insurance and were left with little but the clothes on their backs.

&uot;We need somewhere to stay and everything now,&uot; Harriet said.

&uot;We don’t have anything.&uot;

The fire, which appeared to have begun near the front of the house in the living room, may have been sparked by an electrical source.

Henry told Natchez Fire Department investigators he had experienced electrical problems previously with the house’s wiring.

One of two window unit air conditioners in the house was located near the apparent starting point of the fire.