ST. MARTIN PARISH (BREAUX BRIDGE) — A family of five lost everything in a house fire Friday night on Hilda Street, according to a family friend.
Natasha Pickens, a friend of the Batiste family, said she received a call around 8 p.m. informing her that the family’s home was on fire.
She said she rushed to the scene and found the house fully engulfed in flames.
Multiple fire departments responded to the fire, including Henderson, Parks, Cecilia and Breaux Bridge fire crews, Pickens said.
According to Pickens, the mother and three children were inside the home when the fire broke out. No injuries were reported.
The Breaux Bridge Fire Department said the cause of the fire has not yet been determined and remains under investigation. However, Pickens said the family believes the fire started from a candle in one of the children’s rooms.
“It started from a candle in the kid’s room,” Pickens said. “When they called dad and they noticed that it was in flames, dad went running in to try to control it, but it was too big by the time he made it back.”
Pickens said the fire destroyed the entire home and all of the family’s belongings.
“Everything is gone—from the meat in the freezer that’s burnt up to everything from the front,” she said. “Every dimension of the trailer is gone. They don’t have anything besides the shirts on their backs that they left with last night.”
Pickens is collecting donations on behalf of the family:
DONATION DROP-OFF INFORMATION:
IN-PERSON DROP-OFF
Location: Rooftop (116 E South Vermilion St, Lafayette, LA)
Time: Saturday (1-31-2026) from 12:00–4:00 PM
OUT-OF-TOWN DONATIONS (SHIP):
P.O. Box 2379
Opelousas, LA 70571
BOYS’ CLOTHING:
• Size 6
• Size 10–12
• Size 16 Slim
MEN:
• Pants 36/32
• Large T-shirts
WOMEN:
• Medium T-shirts
• Size 16 bottoms
• medium scrubs
SHOES:
• Boy: Size 6Y
• Boy: Size 13½
• Women: Size 9
• Men: Size 10
• Men: Size 9½
More of her interview will air tonight at 10. You can find more information on their GoFundMe page, and on Pickens' Facebook page.
