A fire broke out Sunday night in the home of LSU Athletics Director Skip Bertman, destroying more than half of the house along with much of the family’s priceless possessions.
An electrical short in a power strip in Bertman’s small office located next to a two-car garage was the cause of the fire, according to the Baton Rouge Fire Department.
Bertman, his wife Sandy and their dog escaped the house without harm.
Firefighters arrived at the house in Riverbend subdivision at 7:45 p.m. to find the garage and small office fully engulfed in flames, which were spreading into the home, according to an incident report from the Baton Rouge Fire Department.
The fire quickly spread through the first and second floors of the house. It was under control by 10:50 p.m., but the Baton Rouge Fire Department estimated 70 percent of the home was damaged by either fire or water.
“From a coaching standpoint, the saddest part is losing the memorabilia,” Bertman told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “You can replace TVs and other things, but that stuff is irreplaceable.”
Howard Ward, a spokesman for the Fire Department, said the estimated total dollar loss at the home was $300,000.
Sandy was able to back a car out of the garage before it was damaged, Ward told the Advocate.
“Skip’s memorabilia is gone. Every picture, every book and every tape is gone,” Sandy told the Advocate.