Second downtown DeRidder structure fire in two weeks under investigation

Published 6:22 am Tuesday, February 17, 2026

The DeRidder Fire Department is continuing its investigation into the cause of a fire that left significant fire and smoke damage to a building in downtown DeRidder over the weekend.

Fire Chief Ken Harlow said a call reporting the fire was received at about 10:30 p.m. Friday night.

He said much of the damage was to the attic area at the rear of the building, which is located at 302 West First St., directly across from the city’s Historic Gothic Jail. The building housed three separate businesses, and the fire affected only the Bayou Vinyl storefront, Harlow said.

Shop owner Amber Burgess, who runs the Bayou Vinyl store with her mother, Jennifer Irvine, and her sister, Maddie Irvine, said the family is “still trying to process” the difficult situation. “We are still in a little bit of shock,” Burgess told the American Press. “We have operated out of that storefront for nine years. I’m not sure where we go from here, but we are working on finding a temporary location to work out of until we hear from the building’s owner about the future of the building.”

Burgess said the outpouring of support her family has received from the community has played a big part in her family’s emotional health over the past few days.

“We have had so many people reach out through calls and messages to check in on us and everything,” she said. “The support we have received is incredible.”

The fire marks the third structure fire in the city in the past two weeks, and the second to strike in the downtown area. On Jan. 31, the historic Friendly Corner store, a prominent feature in DeRidder’s downtown Main Street landscape, was destroyed by a fire, and on Feb. 3, a small building was destroyed on North Pine Street.

According to Harlow, the North Pine Street fire has been attributed to an individual trespassing on the property, but he said the downtown fires do not appear to be connected or suspicious in nature.

“So far, neither of the investigations into the downtown building fires has revealed anything suspicious or concerning,” Harlow said. “In both fires, we have found what appears to be general causes in general areas. They do not appear to be associated in any way with each other.”

The historic Friendly Corner building is estimated to have been built between 1899 and 1914, according to the Beauregard Museum, and city officials have said it was undergoing renovations at the time the fire occurred.