4:15 PM PT -- Officials in NOLA tell TMZ ... this house fire has now been classified as a simple arson.
We're told officers initially responded to the scene following a call about a suspicious person, but upon arriving and investigating ... they determined fire had been set to the property.
Jay-Z and Beyonce are going to be in the market for a cleaning crew ... after a mansion in New Orleans, they reportedly own, caught on fire.
TMZ has confirmed firefighters responded Wednesday night to a 1-alarm fire at the Spanish baroque mansion in the Garden District. We're told the fire department got the call around 6 PM and a little over 2 hours later the fire was fully extinguished.
At this point the extent of the damage is unclear ... but a 1-alarm fire's no joke. Apparently, it took 22 firefighters to knock down the blaze.
Luckily, there were no injuries and the cause of the fire is unknown. Thankfully, a properly working smoke alarm alerted the fire department about the blaze.
As to whether the Carters own the house ... Curbed New Orleans reported back in 2015 the listed owner, Sugarcane Park LLC, shows its mailing address is the one for Bey's management company, Parkwood Entertainment.
As for the house itself ... it was reportedly built in 1925 as a Presbyterian church before it was re-purposed as a ballet school. The 3-story house features a main residence, 3 separate apartments, 26-foot ceilings and a green roof.
Originally Published -- 10:50 AM PT