The flames ripped apart in a large Louisiana mansion, destroying many of the historic structures used as plantation houses when they were completed in 1859.

Iberville Parish President Chris Daigle said on social media that a fire that engulfed Nottoway plantation Thursday destroyed buildings along the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. He said nearly twelve fire departments from surrounding towns fought against the fire. No injuries.

Its website describes it as "the largest remaining pre-war mansion in the South." Daigle calls it "a cornerstone of our tourism economy and a location of national significance."

Built by John Hampden Randolph in the 1850s, Nottoway Plantation is located on 31 acres of land in White Castle on the edge of the Mississippi River.

Located on the former Sugar Plantation about 65 miles northwest of New Orleans, the 53,000-square-foot home features a three-story round-shaped circular hall decorated with giant white pillars and a hand-carved Italian marble fireplace, according to the description on its website.

Until the fire, the mansion was used as a museum, wedding and event venue.

Dan Dyess, the Louisiana-based attorney, said in a written statement that the fire caused "all losses" after all the time and money he invested in the building.

"We are shocked and sad by this loss," he said. "This is my dream and it is now broken."

Photos from local news media show that the huge orange fire wall consumes the upper part of the rotunda and emits thick smoke into the sky.

Maj Monty Migliacio of the Ibville Diocese Sheriff’s Office said the fire had contained and no other property was harmed. Diocese officials said other buildings have been preserved.

"We are in the beginning of the investigation, we don't know how the fire started, our goal is to determine how it started," said Ken Pastorick, director of the Louisiana National Fire Marshal's Office of Public Affairs.

In a statement on Facebook, Daigle talked about the period when enslaved blacks helped build houses and run the sugar plantations that surrounded it, involving the structure's history of racial injustice. According to National Park Service records, in 1860, 155 enslaved people were detained on the property.

"While its early history is undoubtedly related to a time of great injustice, over the past few decades, it has developed into a place for reflection, education and dialogue."

“Since the 1980s, it has welcomed tourists from all over the world who appreciate its architecture and face the legacy of its time,” he added. “This is both a warning monument and an important part of preserving history (even painful parts) so that future generations can learn and grow from it.”