Fire destroys Ramsey's Grocery

A passing motorist alerted St. Tammany Fire District 12 to a fire at Ramsey’s Grocery on Louisiana Highway 25 in Covington Sunday.

“The place is not that far from here, but we didn’t get any calls on it,” said FD12 Chief Darrell Guilott.

“Someone stopped by Station 122, on the same road, and said they thought that building was on fire.”

The fire appeared to have started about 10:30 a.m. Guilott said the store was more than 80 percent consumed by the time they arrived, and before they could hook up their hoses the roof collapsed.

Members of neighboring districts were brought in to assist, including Fire District 13 in Goodbee, which loaned its tanker truck to the cause.

The Covington Fire Department also provided manpower at the scene, as did Fire Districts 5, 6 and 8.

The source of the blaze is under investigation by the state fire marshal’s office. Guilott said this is normal procedure when a commercial structure is involved.