Tailgaters at the Southern University Jaguars’ football team home opener against Nicholls State, got a scare when smoke was noticed coming out of the F.G. Clark Activity Center, which is also known as the Minidome.
The fire occurred in the Sports Care Department room.
Although the building is under reconstruction, it did have electricity that was disconnected due to arcing during the fire.
Outside lighting near the activity center was restored for security purposes and tailgaters were allowed to return to their original spots.
According to official fire department reports, the two-alarm fire was reported around 2:14 p.m. The first unit arrived five minutes later and had the fire under control by 2:58 p.m.
“No one is to blame in this; it is totally accidental” said Baton Rouge Fire Investigator Darryl Sanders. “The cause is due to ordinary combustibles too close to an ignition source…Papers, clothing, alcohols, and other combustible materials that were too close to a sauna (heated rocks).”
There were no people working or operating in the building at the time, but after the fire personnel did have to go salvage what they could.
The fire caused an estimated $50,000 in damage in addition to material damage that is estimated around $15,000.
Because the fire was in such a close proximity of where some tailgaters were, they had to wait at least two hours before returning to their original tailgating spots.
“We were really concerned especially since the people who were moved paid for those spots in which we tailgate,” said Jalencia Gordon, a member of the Jaguar Nation and a tailgater who had to be moved.
