BATON ROUGE - A Baton Rouge contractor has been cited for careless roofing practices that are believed by fire investigators to be a contributing cause of a fire that damaged the roof of a building on LSU’s campus last month.

Baton Rouge fire officials asked for assistance from the State Fire Marshal’s Office in reference to the structure fire that was reported at about 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 19.

At the scene, firefighters found a small fire on part of the metal roof of Patrick Taylor Hall, which is currently under construction. No damage was caused to structural components of the building, according to firefighters.

Fire investigators have determined that the fire was caused when hot tar was left on a mop that ignited after it was improperly stored when employees of the roofing contractor, Roof Technologies, Inc., finished their work and left for the day. Gusting winds are believed to have fanned the smoldering tar until it ignited in flame, burning a nearby bar that was used to move tar around the roof. Roof Technologies, Inc. is a sub-contractor for the Baton Rouge-based general contractor, The Lemoine Company.

Officials of The Lemoine Company accompanied investigators during an examination of the scene and concurred with their findings.

The sub-contractor was cited by the State Fire Marshal for the following violations:

- Placing an asphalt and tar kettle on the roof
- Positioning a tar-soaked mop in an unsafe proximity to combustibles
- Failure to conduct a required two-hour fire watch
- Not having portable fire extinguishers nearby