Dupre House

Ville Platte Fire Department responded to a house fire call at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday night at the corner of South Dupre and Main St. Upon arrival, firefighters began work on ceasing the fire at a house that Barbara Dupre Colligan said “was built in what they call the glory days.”
As firefighters worked tirelessly while the raging fire continued its pursuit to destroy the iconic Ville Platte home known as the Old Dupre’ House, city residents stood along Main Street admiring the 77-year old home before it’s beauty no longer exsisted.
The abandoned house that Colligan’s brother Doctor Robert Emery Dupre and his wife Hazel Ardoin built, is owned today by Dupre’s daughter and her husband, Haidee and Thurman Floyed. Haidee and her husband occupied the home up until five-years ago.
Haidee described the house that she grew up in as “a place that was always filled with love and family.”
After hours of working to calm the blazing fire that was rapidly destroying the home that was completed in 1939, backup had to be called.
Fire departments that assisted VPFD in dissipating the fire were: all Ville Platte Fire District #2 Fire Departments, Mamou, Vidrine, Eunice, and Opelousas. Also providing assistance was Ville Plate Police Department.
On the scene, Ville Platte Fire District #2 Board Member and Belaire Cove Fireman Shawn Devillier said, “This house is all made of pine, and so it is going to just keep burning. This will probably be going on until tomorrow (Friday) morning.”
Devillier’s predictions were right.
On Friday morning there were still firefighters on the scene making sure that the fire had completely been put out.
While some of the Dupre house is still standing, the damage caused by Thursday’s fire is irreparable. This has left Haidee feeling “very sad.”
“There is a lot of family history there,” said Haidee. “My parents always entertained children from all over the neighborhood at that house, and that’s why it meant so much to so many people. My cousins like Hazel “Pud” Fontenot grew up at that house too.”
The day following the fire, Colligan remembered the house her brother built as “tremendous.”
Colligan said, “The house had all oak floors and really high ceilings. There was a large entrance hall, and three bedrooms downstairs. Upstairs, there were a couple more bedrooms, and a game room that had a large pool table in it. The game room opened up to a balcony that you could walk out on. It really was such a tremendous house.”
According to Haidee, they do not think the fire was electrical because her and her husband “had turned off the electricity to hopefully keep a fire from starting.”
While what started the fire is still unknown, investigations are underway at this time to determine the cause.