NATCHEZ — A house fire on Linton Avenue Saturday afternoon sent smoke hovering several blocks surrounding it where it took place.

Natchez Fire Department responded to the fire at 208 Linton Ave., at approximately 4:45 p.m. Saturday.

Robert Wells, the owner of the house, said he and his wife received a call from their daughter that their house had caught fire very soon after they had both left home.

“Everything happens for a reason,” Wells said as he stared at flames coming from the back corner of his house.

The room that caught fire was a bathroom and closet area on the second floor near the back of the house, Wells said.

Visitors in town for Fall Pilgrimage sitting on the porch of Natchez Bluff Top Inn called 911 to report flames when they noticed them coming from the shutters of the house.

The flames were under extinguished by 5:30 p.m.

Natchez Fire Chief Oliver Stewart said the cause of the fire is under investigation.