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A home in Louisiana has burned once again after catching fire for the fourth time in two years.
Since 2020, Robert Attales has seen his childhood home on West Werht Street in Westlake in flames four times, with the fourth time occurring on Saturday (December 3) night, per KPLC. After the first three times, which happened in February, April and October 2020, Attales' brother, Johnny Miller, was arrested on arson charges by the State Fire Marshal's Office.
The house had previously been declared unlivable and didn't have electricity, but neighbors reported noticing someone staying at the home. After the fourth fire over the weekend, what's left is debris and an ashen shell of the home that once stood tall.
Following the death of Attales' mother in 2018, the family was preparing to sell the home; however, Miller was reportedly opposed.
"He verbally told us that he would rather see it burn to the ground before we did anything like that will the home," said Attales.
Four fires later, and Attales is grieving the loss of the only family belongings he had left after his brother allegedly followed through on his threat.
"I had a whole flow of emotions coming through, you know," he said. "That's my brother that's family. Second off he's igniting our family home. Our family home is burning to the ground while he's watching it."
The house next door also was damaged in the fire, which neighbor Lyndon Berwick said was a cause for concern.
"It's something you think about as a father. As a parent," said Berwick. "You don't want anything to happen to your kids and for somebody to set their own house on fire. I wouldn't put it past him to put somebody else's house of fire."
As of Monday (December 5), no arrests have been made and the cause of the fire remains under investigation by the State Fire Marshal's Office.