Man dies in Abbeville house fire

One man perished in a fire that consumed a home Thursday morning in Abbeville.
The blaze also claimed the lives of more than a dozen dogs.
Abbeville Fire Chief Jude Mire said his department received the call of smoke in the area around John Hardy Drive and Charity Street around 8:30 a.m.
“It was totally engulfed when we arrived on scene,” Mire said. “It didn’t take long for it to go up.’’
The fire destroyed the home on Acadian Drive, located off John Hardy Drive. Flames spread to a neighboring home, and Mire said that the second structure suffered moderate damage.
“It started to burn in the attic,” Mire said, “but we stopped it before it truly damaged the house.”
Mire said it took about 30 minutes to extinguish the fire. Along with Abbeville, volunteer departments Erath, Maurice, Seventh Ward and Meaux-Nunez. Mire credited the effort of the firefighters and officers from the Abbeville Police Department, who helped block off the road.
“They all did a great job to get things under control as quickly as possible,” Mire said.
Members of the Office of Louisiana Fire Marshal arrived at the scene to investigate the cause of the fire. As of the Abbeville Meridional’s press time on Friday morning, Mire had not received a report from the Fire Marshal’s office. Mire said the man’s name is not yet being released.
Mire said the man worked closely with the Vermilion Parish Rabies Control to help rehabilitate dogs, which is why there are so many on the premises.