LAKE ST. JOHN — A fire destroyed a house on Louisiana 569 at Lake St. John Wednesday.

Crews with Concordia Fire District No. 2 and 3 along with Tensas Parish Fire responded to the blaze around 1:15 p.m. The fire was already fully involved upon their arrival.

Makenzi Taylor was in her pier house at the time, which is directly behind the main house that caught on fire. Neither she nor the fire crews know what started the fire.

The 4-and-a-half-month pregnant Taylor was napping because she works in the evenings at the Stockyard Saloon in Vidalia, which she owns. Her dogs woke her up, and upon going outside, Taylor noticed the fire. She immediately called 911 and her brother Jeremy James Taylor.

“Everything was in there except a few cloths, my bed, my dogs and myself,” Taylor said.

By the time the crews arrived their only strategy was to make sure the fire did not spread.

“It’s an old structure that went up like paper,” said Concordia Fire District No. 2 Chief Nolen Cothren.

“All we can do is let it burn and clear the surrounding area to protect the surrounding structures.”

The reason Taylor was in the pier house was because she was in the process of remodeling the main house that she has owned for two years.

It is for this reason that Taylor’s mother, Peggy Stevens, who was on the scene comforting her daughter, considered their family lucky.

“If she was napping in the main house when that fire started, with how quickly it went up, she may not have gotten out,” she said.

Taylor remained in shock.

“I just can’t believe it’s all gone,” she said.

The family requests any offer of assistance be directed to Taylor, who can be reached at 318-719-9007 or her Stevens at 601-493-3580.