Investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were recently deployed to help find the cause of a fire last week that destroyed much of the historic  in Iberville Parish.
In Facebook post on Friday, ATF announced the deployment of its "National Response Team" to assist the Louisiana Fire Marshal in finding the origin of the blaze.
The team "has a distinguished history of tackling the nation’s most complex and tragic fire and explosives incidents," according to the post.
Founded in 1978 to investigate large fires, explosions and bombings, the team is made up of certified fire investigators, bomb technicians, forensic chemists, engineers, medics and canine handlers.
It has investigated other notable incidents, including the Maui Wildfire Disaster, one of the U.S.'s deadliest fires in over a century; the 2020 Nashville Christmas Day Bombing; the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, and the World Trade Center attacks.
This is the National Response Team's 11th activation this year.
"With more than 900 responses ... the team brings unparalleled skill to this investigation," the release read.
Chris Daigle, Iberville Parish president, said the fire investigation is in its early stages and no indication of a cause, including arson, has been identified. Chemical samples have already been gathered from the site, he said.
The mansion has been deemed a "total loss" by Daigle, who assisted in coordinating the initial response. Fire crews from across south Louisiana battled the blaze for hours on May 15 as the 160-year-old wooden structure crumbled in the flames.Â
The destruction of the plantation house, which was considered the largest antebellum mansion remaining in the U.S., attracted national attention. Over the years, the plantation has sparked divided reactions from local residents and the descendants of enslaved Black Americans.Â
The plantation was a major attraction and tourism driver for the parish. It was added to the National Register of Historic places in 1980.
