Shreveport, La — A fire destroyed the Patterson Funeral home Wednesday morning on the 1200 block of North Hearne Avenue.

The blaze that began at approximately 5:30 am quickly engulfed the building that was a former church. Twelve units are still attempting to extinguished the fire at this hour.

According to Chief Scott Woolverton of the Shreveport Fire Department, no one was in the building when the fire began. No injuries have been reported.

The funeral's home owners were able to safely remove a body that was being prepared for viewing.

Traffic in the area of North Hearne Ave and Grimitt Drive will be slow for most of the day as fire crews put out hot spots.