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Former St. Mary Parish School Board member Bill McCarty and his family were able to escape an early Thursday morning fire from the one-room cypress houseboat they had been living in since their home sustained damage in a July 2018 fire.

“It’s kind of a shock,” McCarty said. “You certainly don’t expect anything like that to happen, let alone twice in seven months.”

One occupant was treated for smoke inhalation, and a firefighter was treated for a minor injury, Assistant Fire Chief John Price said.

During the July fire, McCarty’s wife was able to pick up a couple of things and get out.

“This time there wasn’t even time to do that,” McCarty said. “It was just a matter of hoping to get the door unlocked and get out.”

At 2:47 a.m. Thursday, the Morgan City Fire Department responded to a call of a fire at the houseboat at Lake End Park. The fire destroyed the houseboat, but the two occupants were able to escape safely, Price said.

A possible cause of the fire hasn’t been determined yet. Seventeen firefighters responded and cleared the scene by 5:30 a.m. Thursday, Price said. A couple of surrounding camps had minor damage.

On July 31, 2018, McCarty’s home on Cedar Street in Morgan City sustained heavy damage to a bedroom, and a cat died in a fire. In that fire, all of the people inside the home had escaped before firefighters arrived. The bedroom that was heavily damaged is believed to be where that fire started, but the cause hasn’t been determined, Chief Alvin Cockerham said.

Louisiana College softball swept a doubleheader with their in-state rival Centenary College Tuesday night at Wildcat Park, The Wildcats won with 10-3 and 2-1 wins against the Ladies.
The victories extend the Wildcats’ winning streak to six and pushed them to 12-5 this season.
Game 1
The first game got off to a sloppy start for both teams with errors in both the top and bottom of the innings leading to four unearned runs between the two teams. The Wildcats scored their two runs on a throwing error at first and a sacrifice fly from Abby Sterling that plated Briley Johnston.
The pitchers and defense settled down after that first inning, but the Wildcats began to pull away in the third when Taylor Hammock brought Berwick High alum Shelby Bergeron in on an RBI groundout.
Louisiana College starter Cameron Crochet retired eight batters in a row and gave the Louisiana College offense the chance to push the lead even more.
A base hit and a throwing error allowed two more runs to score in the fourth and a third came in on an RBI groundout from Johnston, making it 6-2 after four innings.
Centenary got a run back in the fifth, but that would be the last threat it would muster in the game.
The Wildcats almost ended the game early via the run-rule in the bottom of the fifth with two doubles to start the inning with Haley Vezinat’s plating the first run of the inning. A double steal added another, and a Sami Walters base hit made it 9-3 Wildcats.
Shaye Tredinich made it 10-3 with an RBI single up the middle, but the game-winning run would be left at third at the end of the inning.
Neither team threatened in the sixth or seventh.
While the game ended up being a big win for the Wildcats as a team, it was an even bigger moment for one of the Wildcat seniors.
Bergeron, the team’s leadoff hitter, became the Wildcats all-time leading base stealer, swiping her 78th base after reaching on a bunt single in the bottom of the first. She took over the spot from Stephanie Jaeger and added to her new record later in the game with another steal in the third.
Game 2
The second game ended up being tightly contested, with the Wildcats clinging to a slim lead the entire time and needing a clutch defensive play to secure the win.
The Wildcats took the early lead in the bottom of the first on an Abby Sterling base hit to right. They would go up 2-0 in the second on a double steal as Samantha Cetta took second, forcing a throw down, allowing Sami Walters to scoot home easily for the insurance run.
Centenary threatened to tie the game in the third, but a spot-on throw to third from Peyton Eschette cut the runner down trying to steal.
After 11 straight outs from both teams, Centenary caught a break after a ground out to first and a wild throw trying to get the runner at second went to left field wall and allowed the Ladies to get within one after four and a half innings.
The game stayed at 2-1 after six innings, with Madison Dykes going out to try and finish her first complete game of the season. A one-out single and throwing error put the tying run in scoring position at second.
A bunt single moved her to third and after a steal, put the go-ahead run at second. On a shallow fly ball to left, Briley Johnston came racing in for the diving catch and doubled up the runner at third to end the game, giving the Wildcats the dramatic 2-1 victory.
The Wildcats will travel to Clarksville, Arkansas, this weekend for their third American Southwest Conference road series of the season as they take on the University of the Ozarks Friday and Saturday.

Bob Radtke netted a hole-in-one Saturday at St. Mary Golf and Country Club in Berwick. Radtke achieved the feat on hole No. 3 from 147 yards.

Due to multiple areas of water on the Stephensville Road, Mass at St. Rosalie Catholic Church is canceled for Saturday, March 16. Officials will evaluate the water situation weekly.